Young athletes in the Wareham Youth Soccer Club took the field at Decas Elementary on Saturday, Sept. 29, to hone their skills and have fun as a team.

More than 120 kids are part of the volunteer-run program this season which runs from now until the second week of November.

Leading the club is President and Youth Soccer Coach Robert Catarius who first joined the program when he was just 8 years old.

“I got my start on this field,” Catarius said. “And I’ve been a coach for 13 years now. Both of my kids went through this program, too. It’s a huge part of my life.”

As Catarius explained, the goal of Wareham Youth Soccer Club is to teach children ages 4 to 13 the basics of the sport. This includes skills like dribbling and passing as well the concept of sportsmanship. 

“One of the big things we do is teach kids how to be a part of a team,” Catarius said. “Win or lose, everything they do is together.”

The program itself is broken up into two main groups: One for recreation and one for travel. Players on the recreation teams practice and play against each other for fun while players on travel teams compete across Southeastern Massachusetts. 

“They make us proud,” Catarius said. “And I couldn’t really ask for more.”

Soccer players on the high school varsity teams also make an appearance at youth practices, serving as assistant coaches and referees where needed.

“It’s crazy to see how much these kids improve,” said Coach Diaman Sutkus.

A recreation coach, Sutkus joined the program 8 years ago when his son enrolled.

 “My kids barely knew how to kick a ball,” he said. “Now when I watch them play it’s like they’re in complete control of the field.”