Minnesota GLBT Soccer

All of our new teams kicked off their first games of the Winter II season this week.

• The Sunday Orange Crush co-ed team won our first game 2-1.
  
• The Monday Orange Crush co-ed team tied our first game 1-1.
  
• Our Tuesday associated men's team The Matrix won our first game 9-5.

We will be having our Wednesday night pick up game this week, January 9th, at 8:30 PM at Corner Kick Indoor Soccer in Maplewood. As always, players should try to arrive by 8:15 PM for some warm up time. Players should bring a white t-shirt, a black t-shirt, and also an orange t-shirt so that we can split into three visually distinct teams. We will ask each player to kick in $10 this week to cover the cost of the field.

Because we have been coming up short paying for the fields the last few weeks, starting January 16 we will be asking each player to kick in $12 towards the cost of the field instead of the ten we had been asking for.

Labels: co-ed league, gay, GLBT soccer team, innesota, league, lesbian, Matrix, minneapolis, minnesota, Monday, Orange Crush, soccer, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday

The report below is from Andrew regarding the final game in the current session of Orange Crush Monday night league play. The game was played on Monday, December 17, 2007.

The night started off scary; we were short players. It appeared that we would have only four men and two women to start our game. We asked players from on of the teams that played before us, but none of their female players wanted to play another game. We approached the other team and recruited a goalie. None of their female players were interested in playing another game there either. The other team considered allowing us to break the rules and play with 4 men and 2 women instead of 3 and 3, but this didn't allow for any substitutions. Then our recruited goalie's female friend offered to play another game. We had a complete team and were ready to start our game.

The game began with both teams passing the ball well. It was going to be a good game. Britta scored two goals back to back! With about five minutes in the first half, they answered our two goals and the score was tied.

At half time we talked about going out and having fun with the rest of the game.

The second half, we pounded shots at their goal, left, right, up and down, goalie black and blue. With about eleven minutes left in the game, I shot a ball right pass the goalie.

In the last three minutes of the game, the female player that we had recruited received a yellow card. As is the rule in this league, she had to leave the field. We didn't have another female player to take her place on the field so we played short. The other team passed well and shot on our goal. It was nail bitingly close, but we managed to hold them scoreless the rest of the game.

Orange Crush Monday night team finished seventh out of eight teams in the league. We did not finish in last place. This is a first for us.

Labels: co-ed league, GLBT soccer team, Monday, Orange Crush

The Monday Night Orange Crush indoor team begins co-ed league play tonight at 7:30 PM at Corner Kick Indoor Soccer. If you are interested in getting in on the action contact mnglbtsoccer@gmail.com .

Labels: co-ed league, Monday, Orange Crush

On Wednesdays, we will be practicing at 8:30 PM at Corner Kick Indoor Soccer in Maplewood. We have rented the field from 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM. Players should arrive by 8:15 PM. Each player will kick in $10 towards the cost of the field. Players should bring a light colored (or white) and a dark colored (or black) t-shirt so that we can split into two visually distinct teams if we scrimmage.

Here is a link to a Google Map to Corner Kick Indoor Soccer.

Also we will be putting together a new indoor team that will be playing in the Monday evening indoor co-ed league at Corner Kick. Andrew is organizing and captaining this team for us. If you are interested in playing on this team please email Andrew at mnglbtsoccer@gmail.com and let him know that you are interested in playing with Orange Crush Indoor. There is a limit to the number of players that can play on this team, so communicate with Andrew as soon as possible if you are interested.

Also, if you are interested in organizing and captaining a team on a different night of the week, with us at Corner Kick, Soccer Blast, City Sports Connection or another league/facility, let us know and we will be thrilled to assist you in building more teams.

Labels: co-ed league, GLBT soccer team, maplewood, Monday, Orange Crush, Wednesday

We will be practicing and scrimmaging this week on Monday and Wednesday at 6:00 PM at Bryn Mawr Meadows in Minneapolis.

We are moving to indoor practices next week. Our first indoor practice will be on Wednesday, October 17 at 8:30 PM at at Corner Kick Indoor Soccer Maplewood. A Google map to Corner Kick is here. We plan to practice throughout the winter on Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM. Once we move indoors, please do not wear spikes if at all possible. It may be time to buy some indoor soccer shoes or a good pair of sneakers that you will be comfortable paying soccer in.

If you would like more information, or if you are interested in carpooling out to Maplewood, email mnglbtsoccer@gmail.com .

Labels: Monday, soccer fields, Wednesday

We will be practicing and scrimmaging this week on Monday and Wednesday at 6:00 PM at Texa-Tonk Park in St. Louis Park.

This past week, our practices were rained out. We look forward to moving our practices indoors so that we can practice regardless of weather conditions outside. At this point we are looking at moving indoors as early as mid October. Stay tuned for details.

We have players at a variety of skill levels and new players are always welcome to join us.

Also, feel free to click the Camp logo in the upper left hand corner of our website and see what they have going on over in St. Paul.

Labels: Monday, soccer, soccer fields, Wednesday

We will be practicing and scrimmaging this week on Monday and Wednesday at 6:00 PM at Texa-Tonk Park in St. Louis Park. It is a quarter field with goals and nets.

We will also be practicing and scrimmaging on Saturday, September 29 at 1:00 PM at Bryn Mawr Meadows in Minneapolis.

We have players at a variety of skill levels and new players are always welcome to join us on the field.

Labels: GLBT, Monday, Saturday, soccer, Wednesday

We will be practicing at 6:00 PM on both Monday and Wednesday nights this week.

On this past Wednesday, we were asked by a creepy park worker not to meet at the youth fields at Oak Lake Park . He said we needed a permit and when we asked how we could get a permit, he said that since we are not part of a youth league we could not get a permit.

That much said, there is a city soccer field directly west of the fields that we were playing on. Since this is a city field, not a youth league field, we should not have any problems playing on this field. This field is boardered on the north by W 35th St, on the west by Quebec Ave S, on the south by Walker St. and on the east side by Pennsylvania Ave S. You should be able to see this on the Google map for Oak Lake Park . I suggest parking on the streets boarding this field rather than in the lot for the Oak Lake Park fields.

If this field is occupied, we will go to Texa-Tonk Park which is only about a mile away.

Labels: Monday, soccer, soccer fields, Wednesday

Labels: GLBT, Monday, Saturday, soccer, soccer fields, Wednesday

New players are welcome to join us.

We will be practicing and scrimmaging as Monday Night GLBT Soccer continues. We will start at 7:00 PM on Monday July 9th. The soccer field is located at Texa-Tonka Park, 2750 Virginia Ave S. in St. Louis Park. There is a parking lot at Victoria Lake on 28th and Virginia. Click the link above for a Google map to that location.

The field is short, but is in really nice condition. It has lines and goals and nets. When we arrived last week there were kids practicing on it. We warmed up and ran drills for about 1/2 hour off the field until the kids and their parents left. Then we took the field and played to our hearts content.

Labels: gay, GLBT soccer team, lesbian, Monday, soccer, soccer drills, soccer fields

The soccer group will be practicing and scrimmaging tonight, and things will be a little different than the last few weeks.

First off, we will start at 7:00 PM tonight instead of 6:30 PM. This should allow people to avoid most of the rush hour traffic.

Also new is that we will be playing at a different field. The field we will be trying tonight is in St. Louis Park. The soccer field is located at Texa-Tonka Park, 2750 Virginia Ave S. in St. Louis Park. There is a parking lot at Victoria Lake on 28th and Virginia. Click the link for a Google map to that location.

Also please note that we will not be meeting this week for Wednesday Night GLBT Soccer since it is the 4th of July holiday.

Members of the Flamingos team should also note that there is no game scheduled for Tuesday of this week.

Labels: Flamingos, Monday, Wednesday

We will be meeting today, Monday, June 25 at Parkview Center School in Roseville at 6:30 PM. Parkview Center School is located at 701 West County Rd. B in Roseville. Here is a map to Parkview Center School.

New players are always welcome to join the group. We usually do some drills then separate into two teams for a friendly scrimmage.

Labels: Monday

We will be meeting on Monday, June 11 at Parkview Center School in Roseville at 6:30 PM. Parkview Center School is located at 701 West County Rd. B in Roseville. Here is a map to Parkview Center School. New players are always welcome to join the group. We usually do some drills then separate into two teams for a friendly scrimmage.

The Pineapples, our co-ed team in the City Sports Connection co-ed 7v7 12 match league lost a close game this past Saturday. On the positive side however, we played our best game up to this point in the season.

Labels: Monday, Parkview Center School, Pineapples

Lots of things are new or changing. Both Monday Night GLBT Soccer and Wednesday Night GLBT Soccer are moving to new locations due to the fact that the fields at Northeast Park are no longer available. Also this week, the Flamingos, will begin league play on Tuesday, June 5.

Monday Night GLBT Soccer will be meeting this week at Parkview Center School in Roseville at 6:30 PM on Monday, June 4. At that time, we will decide if we like the field and want to play there again or if we should move to try another field. Parkview Center School is located at 701 West County Rd. B in Roseville. Here is a map to Parkview Center School. If you have an alternative field in mind that you would like to promote to the team, please bring information regarding that field to share when you come on Monday.

Wednesday Night GLBT Soccer will begin meeting at Bossen Park in South Minneapolis at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, June 6. Bossen Park is located at 5657 28th Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55417. Here is a map to Bossen Park. Kudos to Justin for reserving this park for us. This is a full size field with soccer goals and nets, and we cannot be kicked off this field on Wednesdays. The downside is that we are required to pay a field rental fee. Therefore, starting this week, we will be asking all Wednesday Night GLBT Soccer participants to kick in $5 a week to cover the cost of the field and nets. The quality of the field should be worth the cost.


The Flamingos start our league play this week in the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Tuesday night 6x6 men's league. On Tuesday, June 5 at 5:30 PM the Flamingos will gather at Neiman Fields. Please try to arrive early as our game starts promptly at 6:00 PM on Neiman G east field. Players should bring an orange shirt, a white shirt, soccer cleats and shin guards. Also, if you have not paid John Collins $20 for the jerseys he is ordering, this would be a good time to give him your money. If you need a copy of the full Flamingos schedule email mnglbtsoccer@gmail.com and we will send the schedule your way.

So to recap this week's coming events,

• June 4 - Monday Night GLBT Soccer - new location - Parkview School in Roseville
  
• June 5 - Tuesday is the first night of the Flamingos 6x6 men's league play
  
• June 6 - Wednesday Night GLBT Soccer - new location - Bossen Park in South Minneapolis

Labels: Bossen Park, Flamingos, Minneapolis Park and Rec League, Monday, soccer fields, Wednesday

We will be meeting at 6:15 PM at Northeast Park in Minneapolis on Monday May 28, 2007. After warming up for a few minutes, one of our players will lead us in a few soccer drills. We will then split into two teams and play a scrimmage. Players should bring both a dark and white t-shirt so that we can be flexible when we separate into teams. Cleats and shin guards are recommended but not required.

After we finish playing, probably around 8:45 PM or so, we will head over to one of our players homes located about three blocks from the park, for socializing and a late potluck supper. If possible please bring some food or beverage to share. Since many of us have the day off on Monday for Memorial Day, hopefully players will spend their entire day cooking wonderful dishes and will wow us with their culinary skills. (OK, I know am dreaming.) Our team contains more than one vegetarian, but plenty of meat eaters play soccer with us too.

Labels: GLBT soccer team, Monday, potluck

On Monday and Wednesday evenings we get together to build our skills and have fun. We gather at 6:15 PM at Northeast Park in Minneapolis. We warm up for a few minutes, then a rotating player leads us in drills which focus on improving our level of play on the field. When our drills are completed we separate into two teams and play against each other in a scrimmage. Players should bring both a black and white t-shirt so that we can be flexible when we separate into teams. Cleats and shin guards are recommended but not required.

New players of all skill levels are welcome to join us.

We also field two teams that play in recreational leagues in the Twin Cities, the Pineapples and the Flamingos.

Labels: Monday, Wednesday

For the first time since we began playing as a group, back in January yesterday we practiced drills before scrimmaging. Skill building drills will become a standard part of our Monday and Wednesday nights, so that we build our ball handling, passing and shooting skills systematically. On Monday evening Andrew led nineteen players in a drill passing the ball up the field with one touch per pass. Then we worked on throw-in techniques. Ideally, each practice one player will step up to lead drills before we split into two teams to play a friendly game.

As usual, we will meet on Wednesday night this week at 6:15 PM at Northeast Park. Whether you are a regular player or a first timer, you are welcome join our soccer group and play with us.

Labels: Monday, one touch passing, soccer drills, throw ins, Wednesday

Twenty players took the field tonight despite the threat of rain and thunderstorms. Several first timers joined us under the rumbling clouds. The level of play was very good, our new players stepped up our skills, but the wet grass proved very slippery for players without cleats. Cool showers fell on us as we played. Some players greatly enjoyed playing in the rain, being reminded of childhood games in the rain. Some of us were cold, reminded of being... cold. Lightning flashed above, high in the sky but we continued to play until the hail fell, when the game was called off.

We played for an hour in the rain on that wet slippery field, and we were dirty and soaking wet. Clearly, we all love playing soccer.

We agreed to put off talking about league play and sponsorship until Wednesday night when the weather might be dryer and more conductive to talking.

Labels: GLBT soccer team, Monday, rain

We again had eighteen players show up tonight for Monday Night GLBT Soccer.

There was good news and bad news to be shared with the players. The good news: our men's 6x6 team Flamingos was successfully entered into the Minneapolis Park and Recreation League and will play Tuesday Nights at the Neiman Athletic Complex. The bad news: the co-ed 6x6 league filled up before receiving our registration. Although we are not officially in the league, we are the first in line if any team drops out of the league before it starts on the week of June 3. This means that our co-ed 6x6 team Pineapples is in limbo. The co-ed 6x6 league plays on Sundays. Our options at this time consist of

1. Wait and see if we get into the league or
   
2. See if we can still register for the 11x11 co-ed league.
   

It sounded like there may be sufficient interest in the 11x11 co-ed league, so tomorrow I will register us for it. We may need to do some recruiting to find a few additional players if we successfully get into this league. The 11x11 co-ed league plays on Thursdays or Sundays, according to the sign up sheet.

After some light stretching and chatting about the league situation, we took the field at Northeast Park in Minneapolis and kicked three soccer balls around the field to warm up. It was fun to be running on grass under the evening sun instead of running on rubber turf under artificial light. There was some confusion about how many players we should have on the field, but after some shuffling and shirt changing, we successfully split into two teams and began to play.

The teams were perhaps a bit uneven as the scoring was a little bit lopsided, but everyone seemed to be having a lot of fun and playing well. This was our first time without the indoor walls, and we kicked the ball out of bounds with alarming frequency. We played hard for two hours with seven on the field (including goalie) and two substitution players on each side. Some players needed reminders about throw-in technique, goal kicks, and offsides rules, but for the most part we slowly remembered (or learned for the first time) how outdoor rules are different from indoor rules.

After it got dark and we ended the game, we chatted a bit more, especially about the fact that we will be playing outdoors on Wednesdays at 6:15 PM at Northeast Park. Some Monday night players want to play an additional night, and we have some potential players that have let us know that they would enjoy playing with us, but cannot make Monday nights due to other obligations. Starting this week, we now offer Wednesday Night GLBT Soccer. We will be playing this week Wednesday and next week Wednesday at Northeast Park, but we are open to playing in other locations in the future.

Our next get together will be Wednesday Night GLBT Soccer on April 25, 2007 at 6:15 PM in Northeast Park. We will show up and stretch a bit at 6:15 PM and take the field at 6:30 PM. Bring a soccer ball if you have one and a black and white t-shirt if at all possible.

Labels: GLBT soccer team, league, Monday, Northeast Park, Wednesday

We will be playing again Monday evening, April 16, 2007 from 8:30 - 9:30 PM at Corner Kick Indoor Soccer. If you plan to join us for the first time, if you would like more information, or if you are interested in carpooling email mnglbtsoccer@gmail.com . If possible bring both a black and a white t-shirt so that we can split into two teams. Please do not wear spikes if at all possible, however we will be moving outside very soon and your spikes will be very appropriate there.

This is the last week that we have our field reserved at Corner Kick, so unless there are major objections, or weather changes drastically for the worst in the coming week, I think we will be moving outdoors when we meet on April 23. Time to start looking for deals on soccer cleats.

Labels: GLBT soccer team, maplewood, minneapolis, minnesota, Monday, soccer