Celtic house league
tourney celebrates soccer
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE — Time is immutable in soccer. It makes the game concrete and visible, showing how the individual parts come together and magnify the drama and intrigue.
Everything is governed by units of time, as it relates to competitions and seasons. The game is also closely connected to ritual, the recognition of the passing of time and future challenges.
This weekend at Gbur Park at Hamilton Reservoir (1037 N. Smith Street), the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club house league officially signals the conclusion of its fall season by crowning the winners of the boys and girls divisions in U10, U12 and U14 tournaments. The U8 level does not play for a championship.
The final round is Sunday. Title contestants are determined by pool play, which concludes Saturday.
The league is open to boys and girls ages 7-14. The size of each team (and the corresponding fields they perform on) is dependent on age group. The U8 teams play 5-versus-5 and the on-field roster goes up by two players on each side accordingly until U14, which plays the standard 11-versus-11.
The house league is a vital part of the Celtic club and a connective thread to Palatine and its surrounding communities, said Jennifer DeFranco, president of the organization. The tournament is a showcase for the players and their families to be recognized for their involvement and commitment.
“This is a chance for everybody to experience that feel, and the excitement of being in a tournament,” DeFranco said.
With approximately 800 players on 70 teams, the participation underlines the explosive popularity of the Celtic recreational league and demonstrates the wealth of options available to parents and their children who are seeking a lower-cost soccer alternative. By its very nature, it is more recreational than the more competitive and skill-driven travel leagues.
The philosophical mandate of Celtic remains very much in place.
The house league provides an organizational structure and community ecosystem that involves kids, teenagers, young adults, parents and coaches. All of the volunteer coaches are parents or community members. Players are evaluated and then placed on teams to balance skill levels across the divisions for equitable play which provides a positive playing experience for players at every level.
Early in its existence, the club required that players who competed in travel also play in-house. As the travel program became more extensive, the rule was abolished.
“The majority of the house players are recreational players. They are still highly competitive, but they just choose not to play [travel] soccer,” DeFranco said.
Each division for boys and girls has a house director. The mentality is different than travel. The core concerns of Celtic shape the organization.
“It used to be a great way for keeping kids fit, but it has become more complex and involved, especially philosophically,” said Jenn Hurwitz, the U10 girls’ house director.
“We are giving the community what they want. For those who want to play more than one sport, especially at a younger age, house soccer allows that opportunity,” she said. “Travel soccer is great for kids who want to focus on one sport and parents who want their kids to do that.
“House affords the opportunity and flexibility to pursue other things.”
The league has fall and spring seasons.
“For instance we have kids right now who are playing football, and they are not playing house. And some of the kids who are playing in the house league now go off and play baseball in the spring,” Hurwitz said.
The level of focus and time commitments is much less stringent then the training involved with travel play, which tends toward the specialization of the athlete. House plays to the request for greater versatility and balance. By evaluating the abilities of each player, the house directors are better able to position each performer in the appropriate spot.
House informs and teaches the game. The organizational structure helps provide a foundation and framework. Players learn the basics but also experience the thrill of participation, teamwork and most of all, forming friendships.
“When they go into travel, they want the challenge,” said Carsten Gruettner, the director of the house league. “For me, I have two kids that are in the house league, and they love it. They love their team, and they want to be with the same team.”
He also works closely with Paul Clapson, the director of the Celtic travel program, on identifying and developing new coaches.
The two-season structure of the league means not only that players involved in other organized sports have the freedom to play there but also the latitude to play on different teams — more reflective of talent and natural ability — from one season to the next.
Since its founding in 1968 by James Kinsella and Bill Hughes, Celtic has served an educational and pedagogical purpose. As the young players matriculate through one of the three middle schools, two public high schools or private schools, Celtic is a means for its participants to make essential connections.
“In the house you get a much broader spectrum of the kids in Palatine, and the friendships they make,” said Hurwitz, whose son and daughter both played exclusively in the house program.
“House soccer links Palatine as a whole.”
tourney celebrates soccer
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE — Time is immutable in soccer. It makes the game concrete and visible, showing how the individual parts come together and magnify the drama and intrigue.
Everything is governed by units of time, as it relates to competitions and seasons. The game is also closely connected to ritual, the recognition of the passing of time and future challenges.
This weekend at Gbur Park at Hamilton Reservoir (1037 N. Smith Street), the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club house league officially signals the conclusion of its fall season by crowning the winners of the boys and girls divisions in U10, U12 and U14 tournaments. The U8 level does not play for a championship.
The final round is Sunday. Title contestants are determined by pool play, which concludes Saturday.
The league is open to boys and girls ages 7-14. The size of each team (and the corresponding fields they perform on) is dependent on age group. The U8 teams play 5-versus-5 and the on-field roster goes up by two players on each side accordingly until U14, which plays the standard 11-versus-11.
The house league is a vital part of the Celtic club and a connective thread to Palatine and its surrounding communities, said Jennifer DeFranco, president of the organization. The tournament is a showcase for the players and their families to be recognized for their involvement and commitment.
“This is a chance for everybody to experience that feel, and the excitement of being in a tournament,” DeFranco said.
With approximately 800 players on 70 teams, the participation underlines the explosive popularity of the Celtic recreational league and demonstrates the wealth of options available to parents and their children who are seeking a lower-cost soccer alternative. By its very nature, it is more recreational than the more competitive and skill-driven travel leagues.
The philosophical mandate of Celtic remains very much in place.
The house league provides an organizational structure and community ecosystem that involves kids, teenagers, young adults, parents and coaches. All of the volunteer coaches are parents or community members. Players are evaluated and then placed on teams to balance skill levels across the divisions for equitable play which provides a positive playing experience for players at every level.
Early in its existence, the club required that players who competed in travel also play in-house. As the travel program became more extensive, the rule was abolished.
“The majority of the house players are recreational players. They are still highly competitive, but they just choose not to play [travel] soccer,” DeFranco said.
Each division for boys and girls has a house director. The mentality is different than travel. The core concerns of Celtic shape the organization.
“It used to be a great way for keeping kids fit, but it has become more complex and involved, especially philosophically,” said Jenn Hurwitz, the U10 girls’ house director.
“We are giving the community what they want. For those who want to play more than one sport, especially at a younger age, house soccer allows that opportunity,” she said. “Travel soccer is great for kids who want to focus on one sport and parents who want their kids to do that.
“House affords the opportunity and flexibility to pursue other things.”
The league has fall and spring seasons.
“For instance we have kids right now who are playing football, and they are not playing house. And some of the kids who are playing in the house league now go off and play baseball in the spring,” Hurwitz said.
The level of focus and time commitments is much less stringent then the training involved with travel play, which tends toward the specialization of the athlete. House plays to the request for greater versatility and balance. By evaluating the abilities of each player, the house directors are better able to position each performer in the appropriate spot.
House informs and teaches the game. The organizational structure helps provide a foundation and framework. Players learn the basics but also experience the thrill of participation, teamwork and most of all, forming friendships.
“When they go into travel, they want the challenge,” said Carsten Gruettner, the director of the house league. “For me, I have two kids that are in the house league, and they love it. They love their team, and they want to be with the same team.”
He also works closely with Paul Clapson, the director of the Celtic travel program, on identifying and developing new coaches.
The two-season structure of the league means not only that players involved in other organized sports have the freedom to play there but also the latitude to play on different teams — more reflective of talent and natural ability — from one season to the next.
Since its founding in 1968 by James Kinsella and Bill Hughes, Celtic has served an educational and pedagogical purpose. As the young players matriculate through one of the three middle schools, two public high schools or private schools, Celtic is a means for its participants to make essential connections.
“In the house you get a much broader spectrum of the kids in Palatine, and the friendships they make,” said Hurwitz, whose son and daughter both played exclusively in the house program.
“House soccer links Palatine as a whole.”
