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'Beautiful game' at a park near you :Over 100 years old, San Francisco (California) soccer league offers ethnically diverse players

AS ENGLAND faced Ecuador and Portugal took on the Netherlands two weeks ago in the World Cup, players in the San Francisco Soccer Football League spent their Sunday morning at their weekly games ? with radios and televisions tuned in to the action in Germany.

Seventy teams and more than 1,500 adults gather every Sunday at soccer fields around the Bay Area for the pure enjoyment of playing the game. And with such ethnic diversity in the SFSFL, no matter which team scores in a World Cup match, somebody is thrilled beyond belief.

"It makes this league very unique," Genaro Comacho said. "It changes the whole attitude of the league when there's so much diversity. ... It's great to think a guy from Bosnia is playing a guy from Peru."

Comacho heads Mexicali, one of 12 teams in the Major Division, a notch below the Premier

Division.

SF City FC has men from Bosnia, England, Israel, Nicaragua and Scotland. After five years of coaching, Jonathan Wright has led his team from the First Division into the Major Division.

"The play gets better," Wright said. "Players are more skilled, and the fouling and dirty tactics are seen less and less. It's a much cleaner game."

After playing in just his fourth game, 19-year-old Andrew Burkhammer, the youngest member of Mexicali, said the variety of playing styles has already made a positive difference in his game.

"It's totally different than playing in the youth leagues," Burkhammer said. "There is such a wide variety of ages, and you see a lot of different styles. It's cool how all the different teams represent different cultures."

Other Major Division teams such as SF Celtic, Sons of Italy and Haitian Express contribute to the international atmosphere.

When SF Celtic was established in 1964, Irish immigrants joined the team to learn Gaelic football. Now, the team is a mixture of Irish, Scottish, English and American players.

"Our history is still very important," Celtics coach Jeff Wilson said. "The name 'Celtic' is connected to a team from Scotland. Guys who want to play look to our team first because of the name and our history. Once they go out and see the type of soccer we play, they end up playing till they can't play anymore."

It was with that same idea that the SFSFL was created in 1902. As one of the oldest semipro and amateur leagues in the United States, the SFSFL stands by its original intent of promoting the game in the San Francisco area.

Now, not all the teams come directly out of San Francisco. Teams have formed throughout the Bay Area and play in Hayward, Pleasanton, San Jose and Santa Rosa.

"The league is older than FIFA," SFSFL president Leo Shoomiloff said. "I think it's one of the best in Northern California. I'm honored to be a part of it."

The SFSFL consists of six divisions. Most games are at Boxer Stadium and Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. SC Sporting leads the Premier Division with seven wins, with PAC, SF Glens and Portola VSC following with six. El Farolito and the SF Scots are next with five.

"The better players seem to draw themselves to the higher divisions," SFSFL spokesman Tony Alejandre said. "We have guys who have played pro in other countries, as well as college players who were at the Division I level. Some players were even drafted in the MLS, but it didn't work out financially. So they play here."

Making the jump from the Major Division to the Premier Division is easier said than done, according to Wright.

"A lot of teams go up and come right back down," Wright said. "The difference between the Premier and Major is the greatest. You really have to be prepared."