Willow Glen Resident

Cover Story

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Team Sport: SoccerMainia in Willow Glen gets young children excited about the game, parents say. At soccer camp (from left) Alex Hall, Mia Bellafronto and Tyler Roth run a drill in River Glen Park. The camp was started by Willow Glen resident Alex Main.

GOAL!

Instructor teaches students to love the game

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

A player lines up the ball and takes a shot toward the goal. His teammates scatter, and the fans brace themselves. The announcer shouts "GOAL!" Soccer fans everywhere are glued to their television sets as the 2006 World Cup is starting to heat up, but in Willow Glen, soccer is already hot, as Soccer Mainia revs up with summer camps and classes.

Parents and family members chat on the sidelines at River Glen Park while their children try out their new "futbol" skills.

The chitchat stops as parents watch a child run toward the goal. Everyone shouts praise and cheers, "Yeah!"

Founder and Willow Glen resident Alec Main says after five years of building his program, the "Willow Glen Connection," as he fondly refers to the residents of his community, has helped fill his weeks and weekends with soccer.

"I take the time to get to know the kids individually and parents appreciate this," Main says. "At some programs, coaches don't even know the names of all their players by the end of the season. I want SoccerMainia to be different."

SoccerMainia, named after Alec and Diane Main, has been around for five years.

"My husband had worked in electronics and didn't like it," Diane Main says. "He really wanted to do something that involved soccer."

Main is a teacher at Milpitas Christian School and had the summer off, so the couple decided to start SoccerMainia.

"Alec grew up in Scotland and played soccer all the time," she says. "He had a soccer ball, and that was all he needed."

Main played soccer on his high school team and was scouted by two professional teams but was unable to play because he wanted to learn a trade first, he says.

That didn't deter him from playing, and whenever he worked, he would always organize teams.

"His life revolves around soccer," Diane Main says. "He dreams about soccer. Sometimes I get kicked at night because he is dreaming of some soccer move. Soccer is so much a part of our lives. For Alec to be able to do what he likes, it's makes for a different kind of lifestyle."

When SoccerMainia was started, the couple decided on summer camps as a way to break in to the sport. The turnout was decent. Then they started focusing on school classes.

Main's wife got him a chance to show his stuff at her school and both parents and children were hooked.

As word spread, more people became involved.

"Once they see what he does, they want to continue with him," Diane Main says. "As they meet him, everybody wants him to work with their kids."

Main focuses on physical fitness, coordination and behavioral skills for his young soccer players.

In the beginning, 80 percent of Main's classes were in Milpitas and Berryessa. Last summer, Main had what he calls a real breakthrough with Willow Glen when he was invited to teach an after-school soccer program at Willow Glen Elementary.

Willow Glen Elementary School Parent Teacher Association board member Cassandra Contreras and another parent had heard about SoccerMainia and Alec Main and wanted him to work with their students.

"People had told us about their kids and their experiences with Alec, and we knew that we had to have him," Contreras says.

He came out and did free clinics for the parents to find out if their children would take to the program, she says.

"He is phenomenal and great with the kids," Contreras says. "SoccerMainia is a good fit here."

Contreras' 9-year-old, Camille Friscia-Contreras, took both camps and class with SoccerMainia. Contreras says her daughter is benefiting from both.

"We really wanted a coach that could hone in on the areas where she could improve her skills," Contreras says, "and he does."

Main's personality and teaching style creates a positive environment for the children, Contreras says.

"They feel good about what they're doing and feel good about soccer, and this translates to feeling good about their community," she says.

Main's love for the sport he teaches comes across loud and clear and parents say that this is one of his many appeals.

"I show the kids a fun-oriented side to soccer, "Main says." I try to keep it from becoming mega-competitive."

This love for the sport was only one of the things that first caught Willow Glen resident Karen Strasilla's eye when she was introduced to Main.

"He is a big kid," Strasilla says. "He's so animated and passionate about what he is doing, and it rubs off on the kids."

She has three children who are all working with Main. Her oldest, 10-year-old Wilson, has been going to Main since SoccerMainia first started five years ago. His brother, second-grader Jakob and sister Quincy, who's in kindergarten, have followed in their brother's cleat-steps.

"When they first started out, the kids weren't so confident on the field," Strasilla says. That has changed.

"He's teaching them not only soccer but sportsmanship, attitude, skills and how to be a good person," Strasilla says. "Alec's a good person to have your kids around as a role model."

Strasilla says he has a presence about him, and his Scottish accent may add to that allure.

"The kids like to hear him talk," she says. "They stay focused."

But when it comes down to it, Main is not a business guy, he's a soccer guy, Strasilla says.

"He just wants everyone to get a chance to play soccer," she says.

And he means everyone.

Strasilla, along with a few other Willow Glen women, approached Main asking him to give them tips. These women were part of a women's soccer team called the Hot Tamales.

Willow Glen Elementary PTA President Alex Hoppe is also on the Tamales team.

"He's one of those truly giving people that give something to the community in a way that benefits both kids and parents," Hoppe says. "He wants to do what he can for his community."

Hoppe and the rest of the Hot Tamales train on Wednesday nights at River Glen Park, and Main gives them pointers, helps them with strategies and offers them advice on their strengths and weaknesses.

He even goes out and watches them play on the weekends.

"Everyone in Willow Glen has been so good to me," Main says. "They have been so supportive. Their enthusiasm is unbridled."

No matter where he is or who he helps, he always manages to capture the person's full attention, the parents say.

Willow Glen resident Felecia Mulvany has been bringing her two sons to SoccerMainia for a few months, and the boys love it.

Third-grader Kevin and kindergartner Dylan signed up last summer with a different soccer outfit, but they weren't very interested.

"But they love Alec," Mulvany says. "He gets them involved, and they love playing. I am really impressed in how he keeps them so engaged."

Mulvany says Main is both professional and approachable, a winning combination. "His Scottish accent doesn't hurt either," she says.

Main's approach on the field has also managed to bring community members together.

"Instead of dropping the kids off, a lot of us stay and hang out," Mulvany says. "We bring drinks and snacks and share while we watch the kids."

So as countries continue to battle it out for the World Cup, parents in Willow Glen already know where to find that winning combination and shout, "Goal!"

SoccerMainia's next set of camps will start July 31. For more information on camps and classes, visit www.soccermainia.com or call 408.893.4611.