By Staff
Hats off to the Niles Optimist Soccer League.
The league is in the middle of its 29th season and has more than 1,300 children from Niles, Buchanan and Cassopolis.
The league sports more than 80 teams this year with children ages kindergarten through eighth grade participating.
Games began back in early April and will conclude the last Thursday before Memorial Day. The league plays games weekly on one of five fields in Niles, Buchanan and Cassopolis.
Cassopolis is a new addition to the league in 2006.
While most of the contests are played on Saturday, some games are held Mondays through Thursdays.
The Optimist Soccer League is a co-ed league with five divisions. There is also an all girls division, which is divided into third, fourth and fifth grades and sixth, seventh and eighth grades.
Each team will have played eight matches by the time the league concludes later this month.
The nice thing about the Optimist Soccer League is that it is not about competition. No scores are kept and there are no standings.
The league, according to committee member John Willis, who is in his fifth year as chairman, “is a recreational and instructional program.”
If you have not had a chance to stop by and check out a game yet this season, we suggest Saturday as a good time to do so.
The weather forecast is for sunny and cool temperatures, just perfect for taking in a soccer match.