A day of remembrance at Strathmore fields

ABERDEEN — Opening day for the Aberdeen Matawan Soccer Club’s (AMSC) 2010 fall season will mark a day of remembrance and reflection starting at 9 a.m. on Sept. 11.

The AMSC will honor the men and women who lost their lives in the World Trade Center nine years ago, during their four-hour soccer tournament at Strathmore Elementary School in Aberdeen.

“Since we are opening up on 9/11, we wanted to make sure we honor the day and make sure our kids never forget,” said Andrew Ginsburg, AMSC board vice president and director of recreation programs, in an interview. “We want the kids to remember what happened and know what happened. I really like the kids to know how important the day is … not that we should sit there and mourn all day, because that’s not what our country is about, and that’s not what freedom is about.”

The soccer tournament includes more than 300 youngsters from the borough and township, who will be split up into six divisions during the day. Between each game, a moment of silence will be held honoring the thousands of lives lost in lower Manhattan in 2001.

“It will be a very loud day and then all of a sudden, it will be absolutely quiet,” Ginsburg said.

In honor of the occasion, the AMSC has also partnered with Operation Shoebox, a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 that sends support to men and women deployed outside the United States.

AMSC’s director of special events, Melanie Schueller, researched different charities in the area and found that Operation Shoebox has a local drop-off center in Hillsborough, making it a desirable location for the parents and children involved.

“We saw several organizations, and we were trying to find one based in New Jersey,” Ginsburg said. “We really tried to stay in-state, because that’s where we are.”

One of the organization’s core programs involves sending care packages to soldiers that contain snacks, personal care products, stationary, books, magazines and other items.

Ginsburg said each age division of the AMSC has a suggested items list, and the coaches are asking each player to donate an item that can be brought to the field on opening day, honoring both the anniversary of Sept. 11 and American troops overseas.

“We felt that is was very important for our kids to learn to give back to people,” he said. “They [the troops] are there protecting us, so we want the kids to know the reason they can sit there, play soccer on a Saturday or play Little League is because there are people out there who are risking their lives. Let’s make their lives [the troops] a little bit easier where they are.”

The AMSC divided the suggested items list equally among the different teams, asking for donations such as shampoo, mouthwash, mini flashlights, candy, canned goods and many others. Donations to Operation Shoebox will also be accepted from the public at the tournament.

At the field, which is located behind Strathmore Elementary School, the AMSC will also have postcards that the coaches would like each team to sign. Local Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops will be in attendance to assist in this community service project.

“The Boy and Girl Scout troops that are doing this will ideally be the ones who are going to package it up and get it over to Operation Shoebox,” Ginsburg said.

The preliminary schedules for the Sept. 11 game day are: the 5- and 6-year-old teams will begin their games at 9 a.m.; the 7- and 8-year-old boys will have three games; and the 7- and 8-year-old girls will have two games during the day.

Older children — the 9- and 10 year-olds —will have one game each, in Unity format, a time where the athletes are mixed around and placed on different teams in order to encourage teamwork and cooperation

“Since we are a small town and we don’t have enough players to make a lot of teams, we divide the kids up each week and they play a pick-up game, essentially,” Ginsburg said. “In Unity format, if there are 28 kids, they would make 27 friends and every week they would play a slightly different team. It’s a way to try and keep it fun and keep everyone busy.”

The AMSC has approximately 345 children, down from 700 in previous years, Ginsburg said. To keep things challenging, several local support organizations from different Bayshore towns formed interclub play, where students from Matawan and Aberdeen can compete against teams from Holmdel, Lincroft, Colts Neck and Old Bridge.

“For kids 7 to 8 [years old], soccer is the best game for them,” he said. “Soccer, when they are playing, they are running all the time. That’s probably the best way to get some exercise and keep them engaged.”

The AMSC is also part of the Matawan- Aberdeen Sports Alliance, which is made up of all recreational sporting clubs in the borough and the township, including baseball, softball and soccer, among others. By working together, the coaches of the different teams coordinate to find different practice fields and provide safe environments for children to play.

Ginsburg said the motto of the AMSC is not only about soccer, but “helping to build a community one player at a time.”

“Hopefully it will be a sunny day and it will all work out [on Sept. 11],” he said.

Strathmore Elementary School is located at 282 Church St., Aberdeen. For more information about the Aberdeen Matawan Soccer Club, visit http://www.amsoccer.org.