The Chelmsford Sunday Soccer Club's Blog

We are playing on the McCarthy turf at 8:30 for the next several weeks. We will be there until Pop Warner football resumes.

Bring a white shirt. Bring a dark shirt. Bring water. Even on a cool day we needed two water breaks. Water is essential.

We try to blend the ages, skills, and inclinations of the people who show up to make the game as even as possible. Not always easy, but we know most of you and do what we can. I ask you to play in such a way that you get the other members of your team involved. Our group and our game are kind of special.

Lawrence

The blistering heat should break and the temps should be cooler by the weekend. But what could be cooler than we are? Just sayin.

Bring a white shirt and bring a dark shirt. When everybody has a dark shirt and a white shirt it allows us to balance the teams. The more even we manage to make the game the more fun it is for all.

Bring a drink. Hydration is so important at anytime, but in the summer it is especially important. We will have an 8:30 AM kick-off at the McCarthy Turf this Sunday.

Although it is Independence Day the Chelmsford Parade will be on Monday the 5th. So, us being at the McCarthy will not interfere with any of their prep.

Lawrence

We are playing at 8:30 on the McCarthy turf this week and for the rest of the summer. We had a good turnout and a good game last week.

One reason that we had a good game was that everyone brought both a white and dark shirt. This allows us to balance the teams and make it as even as possible.

Now that we’re back to the turf, we have the big goals. Sometimes we have dedicated keepers. When we don’t, we take turns playing keeper minding the net.

Just a reminder that we will be be playing on Sunday, July 4th too. The Chelmsford parade is on July 5th this year. So, we should not have a problem being at McCarthy.

If, for any unexpected reason, the turf is not available to us, we can play across the street at Graniteville. However, I do not expect any issues.

Lawrence

Good crowd and good game today. The perfect weather did not hurt either. Things are pretty much back to normal.

I am so pleased to be playing in games with adults who I helped coach when they were teens. I love that our game is a blend of ages and abilities. It is a game where you can just come and play without it being a big deal. I am so happy that we are back to playing. I really missed these Sunday games. I’m still not in shape, but fun anyway.

Speaking of normal…let’s go back to throw ins instead of kick-ins. We still ask people who are not vaccinated to wear a mask and anyone who is feeling ill should not come to soccer until they are feeling better. Be honest. Be respectful of the others in the group.

Starting on Sunday the 20th, we are moving to the Turf Field at McCarthy. Game time changes to 8:30 AM kick-off. We have found that works best with the turf field in the warm weather. Big field with the big goals. Playing with keepers if we have enough people for full field game.

This year, July 4th is a Sunday. We are still planning to play as usual. If you are shooting off fireworks on a Sunday morning, that is not cool. Playing soccer on a Sunday morning is very cool. Playing on July 4th at McCarthy turf will not interfere with the staging of the parade. When July 4th is a Sunday, Chelmsford holds the parade on a Monday. No conflict.

From what was discussed this morning, people seem interested in playing on July 4th. So, it should be business as usual.

If the turf field is unexpectedly not available, we will retreat to Graniteville (across the street).

We are still working on a field assignment for September.

Those of us who are playing are getting in a good groove. Those of us who have not yet started the season will perhaps have some catching up to do. Not specifically thinking of anyone in particular. There’s lots of reasons that people can’t play. But, hoping to see some more familiar faces this Sunday as well as the new ones too. Heck, y’all come.

9:00 AM at Graniteville.

I don’t know when the turf field becomes available for the season. When it does, we’re going to shift our start time to 8:30. Stay tuned for that. But this week is Graniteville.

Andy…if you are coming, can you bring the pop-up goals with you? We’ve been using the Lacrosse goals, but do not know when they’ll get put away.

Lawrence

I will say that the weather on the long weekend was not nearly as nice as I’d hoped that it would be. But, into each soccer season some rain must fall. And it did. And it was cold. And I was the only soccer player at the field. There was a man with two dogs who chase the geese. But there were no other soccer players. Makes sense.

There were not even any cricket players. Perhaps they were on a snack break.

This weekend looks perfect for soccer. We need to make up for last week’s lost opportunity. 9:00 AM at Graniteville. White shirt and dark shirt.

I am hoping that more of our regulars are now vaccinated and feel comfortable coming out. The numbers have been good. But, you know that I love it when we have a big crowd. I hope to see you all there.

Lawrence

We’ve had good numbers each of the last three weeks. I am hoping that trend continues this week.

We are playing on the field at Graniteville (as we have been). We’ve been using lacrose goals.

I look forward to the day when I do not have to say “bring a white shirt, bring a dark shirt, and don’t bring a grey shirt.” Today is not that day.

Lawrence

After such a long layoff, my body was pretty creaky after Week 1. A bit less creaky after Week 2. So, I think that I am getting back into a rhythm. It feels good to be back.

We are currently set-up to play on the Graniteville field at 9:00 AM on Sundays. We used the lacrosse goals last week. That works out pretty well. It was suggested that the score would have been higher with larger goals. Not sure. I got the sense that we would have missed those goals too. I know that I missed two shots that were really makable. But…that doesn’t matter. We had a lot of fun.

Everyone wore masks. We social distance during the water breaks. We play soccer. We have fun

I was asked to give the address of the Graniteville fields. Not sure that it has an address that a GPS would us. If you are coming from Drum Hill on Old Westford Road, you will see the McCarthy Turf on your left. Take a right at the fork just after that. And…you’re there.

Bring a white shirt. Bring a dark shirt. DO NOT bring a grey shirt. Don’t forget to bring your water bottle. I hope to see you all out there this Sunday.

L

I was very happy that we got back on the field last week. I was really pleased that everyone who played wore masks and social distanced during the water breaks. The bonus was that there were no discussions about grey shirts. Heck, not even grey masks. Sure, my whole body hurt for a few days afterwards, but that’s to be expected after not playing for a few weeks.

Let’s do it all over again on Sunday. 9:00 AM at Graniteville (across from McCarthy turf).

Bring a white shirt. Bring a dark shirt. Do not bring a grey shirt. If anybody has a pop up goal or two, that would be nice to have use of.

Lawrence

Since it has been a few weeks since we last played, this Sunday might be a good time to resume.

All of my research shows that all other games and leagues are requiring masks be worn at this time. Therefore, I encourage everyone playing to wear a mask when they are not social distancing. I can clarify that being a slow runner is not the same as social distancing as faster runners will (briefly) be in your vicinity.

As we have still not gotten confirmation from CYSA as to which field we’ll have this spring, we were thinking that setting up the cones or pop-up goals for a small-sided game on the field at Graniteville Road (across from McCarthy field) is where we’ll start.

Please do not come to soccer if you are feeling unwell. Please do not come to soccer if you are in a high-risk category. I know that we often say “don’t do anything stupid” just before we do something stupid, but please take your well-being and the well-being of the group seriously. That way, we can get back to doing dumb stuff on a long-term basis.

Sunday, May 2nd, 9:00 AM, Graniteville Road.

I look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday.

Lawrence