By Kim J. Harmon

 

It is the nature of their job – instructors with Major League Soccer Camps – that Joe Hovey, Stuart Gosling and Daniel Piggett are more or less nomads. Still, they may have found a home in Newtown.

For the past eight weeks, the three instructors have been offering spring training to hundreds of young players and over that time they have been welcomed with open arms into the homes of several Newtown soccer families.

“Everyone has been great to us,” said Mr Hovey, who stayed with Tim and Sarah Roman, “the parents, the kids, the coaches.”

The game of soccer has taken the three instructors – all former, high-level players in England – all over Connecticut and to points throughout the Northeast and who could expect where the next port of call would be? Massachusetts?

“The people here can’t do more for us,” said Mr Piggett, who spent a couple weeks each with the Greenwood, Kraushaar, Walsh and Ahuja families. “It’s been so nice and we can’t wait to get back.”

The Newtown Soccer Club believes in providing quality training at a young age and several years ago began a relationship with Major League Soccer Camps. For one week in the summer, MLS Camps descends on the Newtown Middle School for a weeklong program but this added eight-week session in the spring offers further in-depth training.

“The club philosophy is to get really good training at a young level,” said Hovey, “and we like to provide fun-based training while trying to help them get ready for travel (competition).”

One session at Fairfield Hills saw a couple dozen future stars working through a number of drills, including a tandem dribbling drill where two young players – each clutching one side of a small jersey – took turns dribbling a ball.

“We have a lot of fun games,” said Gosling, who stayed with Linda and Frank Burhance, “and they end up learning stuff without really realizing it.”

And the players have so much fun they don’t want it to end.

“Our kids were in tears because they knew this was their last session,” said Mr Gosling. “It’s sad, because you become like a role model to them.”

MLS Camps will be back in town July 10-14 and July 24-28 at the Newtown Middle School. The first session will be three hours each day for players 6 to 18 years if age and 90 minutes each day for players 4 to 6 years of age. The second session will be from 9 am to 12 noon or 5 to 8 pm and is open to players 5 to 14 years of age.

Cost of the first session is $80 or $102 (depending on age group) and the cost of the second session is $102. Players can register at www.newtownsoccerclub.org. Anyone interested in housing a coach for the week can call Liz Raftery at 364-0059.