One of the things Burke Athletic Club does is offer support for programs that bring soccer and other opportunities to children that otherwise would not be able to experience them.  One of the ways we do this is through our support of the Fairfax County Teen Center soccer program.
 
This program is on Saturday evenings beginning at 7 pm.  Each week 12 teams play each other at Patriot Park on the small-sided soccer fields.  It’s a great time.

Here are a picture from opening weekend.

It’s Not Whether Your Kid Wins or Loses . . .

Grown-Ups Get A Little Coaching In Sportsmanship

By Amy Gardner
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, May 24, 2009

Amid the thuds and slaps of a dozen soccer balls and the happy shrieks of 100 running, kicking, laughing children, one sound was absent at a recent soccer practice of the Burke Athletic Club in southwest Fairfax County: grown-ups.

It’s not that the children were unsupervised. But this was Soccer Festival Wednesday, a weekly gathering when coaches put down their whistles, parents rest their vocal cords and children play not for points, not for victory -- but purely for fun.

While the weather didn’t help, Burke AC’s first annual Soocerfest was a HUGE success. With support from our friends at DC United, Washington Freedom, and Goldenboot Soccer, more than 130 kids played games and learned a little more about soccer while the club collected nearly a half ton of food (literally) and enough soccer equipment to fill a minivan.

Braddock Supervisor John Cook stopped by and dropped off a bag of canned food. He took some time to talk with players and parents and encouraged everyone to continue to be involved in youth sports. As a softball coach himself, Supervisor Cook gave special thanks to the parents that volunteer as coaches.   Here, Supervisor Cook poses for a quick picture with DC United’s Talon and several of the children that contributed to the 920 pounds of food collected by the club.  The food was donated to Food for Others.  (www.foodforothers.org)