Things People Do : Popularity Blows Lid Off Indoor Soccer Leagues

As with many just-discovered recreational activities, indoor soccer in San Diego County began crudely.

Six years ago, the sport was played on a wooden floor at the Skate Palace in El Cajon, the roller rink having been turned into a makeshift arena.

Today, indoor soccer leagues in the county are booming. Games are played in comfortable surroundings at five venues, every night of the week. There are approximately 250 teams, and games and leagues have improved a lot.

One of the curious refinements is that “indoor” soccer is now being played outdoors.

“(Indoor soccer) is something that has only risen in popularity,” said Bonnie Combs, who runs soccer centers in El Cajon and North Park. “It’s become quite a hit in a short period of time.”

Indoor soccer first came to San Diego in 1980, when the Sockers participated in the North American Soccer League’s first indoor season. They finished last in the Southern Division, but soon after began their domination of the indoor sport.

By 1982, fans in San Diego were taking notice. They liked the fast-paced, high-scoring game, played on a field little more than half the size of the outdoors field. Russ Clark, who owned the Skate Palace, decided it was time to see if fans were interested in playing it, too.

With help from Combs, Clark played host to the county’s the first recreational indoor league.

“The Boys’ Club in El Cajon actually put together the teams,” Combs said. “We just cut out skating a couple of nights and allowed them to use our facility.”

It was quite a place. Hockey boards surrounded the playing floor and were topped by big fish nets to keep the ball from going out of play. The field was 185 feet long instead of 200 (as it is today), and it tended to get a little stuffy inside the old rink at times.

Oh, well. James Naismith started basketball with peach baskets.

“We had to start somewhere, and that was the beginning,” Combs said.

After two years, the Sports Arena put in a new carpet for the Sockers, and the Skate Palace got the old one.

“By the second year, we had cut out most of the roller skating,” Combs said. “The indoor soccer was getting so popular, we had to set aside more nights for that.”

Just when things were rolling, however, the Skate Palace was bought out by a furniture store. The county’s original shrine of indoor soccer was gone.

But new ones are springing up, all of them outdoors.

Combs started a center in El Cajon less that a year ago, and 60 teams are playing there in 8 leagues. There isn’t a night during the week that the center isn’t in use.

“It’s almost to where we can’t handle all of the people who want to play,” Combs said.

At five soccer centers countywide--El Cajon, North Park, Poway, Sorrento Valley and Mission Valley--”indoor” leagues are run seven nights a week, year round.

To accommodate all the players, the sport is branching out.

At the Folsom’s Tennis Center on El Cajon Boulevard near downtown, a man wearing black shorts, a black long-sleeved shirt with a white collar and black socks is watching some mixed doubles.

It is doubtful that six months ago, he would have been there. He’s a soccer referee, taking a break between games. They’ve been holding indoor soccer leagues at the tennis center for three months. Three tennis courts were taken out to make room for soccer.

Tom Schwartz, who runs a center in Poway, figured things would be going this way. Several years ago, he played in El Cajon. He liked the sport, but he knew it could be even more attractive to the public.

His 3-year-old center--the oldest indoor soccer facility in the county--has a warmup area, showers and a new artificial surface.

“I was very impressed with the sport, but the key was to do it properly,” Schwartz said. “It’s only been positive. We have players all the way from Point Loma to Mission Viejo playing in our leagues.”

There are leagues for 5-year-olds and leagues for 40-year olds. There are “A” leagues for excellent players and “C” leagues for the not-so-excellent. There are women’s leagues and co-ed leagues.

“People will say that the leagues are just for fun,” Combs said. “But some of these games look like they are anything but recreational.”

Still, play rarely gets rough. No slide tackles are allowed. And in a co-ed game last week at Folsom’s, the referee blew his whistle only once during the first half.

This is a game for players only. Socially, it hasn’t quite reached the level of, say, weekend softball. In the stands, you might find a few spouses, girlfriends or boyfriends, or a couple of players waiting for the next game to start.

“But the players really enjoy it,” Combs said.

In Poway, Schwartz has expanded on the original idea. He has started a league of 3-on-3, played on a smaller field with no goalkeepers.

“It’s great for players just starting out,” Schwartz said. “With three players on a team, you can’t help but touch the ball quite often. It’s a great way to get better.”

For those who are already better, there’s the opportunity to play against the best from other cities, another indication of how far the sport has come. Early next year, in fact, Combs said the El Cajon center will be playing host to a regional tournament that could include teams from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix and Denver.

Indoor soccer, it seems, is becoming big in this town.

Funny how it had to move outdoors along the way.