Woodstock’s newly revived youth soccer program has its first season in the books and plans to expand with kids as they grow older—one year at a time.
“Showing up is the most important part,” said Karen Chesley, 46, the all-volunteer group’s driving force. “Even the kids that don’t want to play at the beginning end up enjoying it the most.”
Chesley, a New York Times lawyer, began talking about restarting a program in 2023 so that local kids didn’t have to travel to Saugerties. By 2025, she had completed a weekend of training with the American Youth Soccer Organization, the nation’s largest nonprofit soccer program and led an effort to bring youth soccer for 2-6-year-olds back to Woodstock.
The return to the Comeau Property held outsized importance amid broader concerns about the community, including the decision to close Woodstock Elementary School in 2028.
Andrew Gray, 50, a carpenter and builder who grew up in Woodstock, said the program helped reinforce relationships between parents and kids. Gray, who is separated from the mother of his daughter, Louisa, said soccer provides a grounding routine and a way to stay connected.
“There’s a sense that families are coming back to Woodstock,” Gray said.
The league serves children as young as 2 with age-appropriate goals. Younger kids focus on basic movement and play, while older children begin scrimmaging.
Robin Schwartz, a Woodstock-based documentary filmmaker who coached the older kids, said the emphasis was on joy, not competition.
“There’s nothing better than being able to be outside,” she said. Her 5-year-old daughter, Mica, sometimes plays in a cowboy hat and carries a purse onto the field. “The goal is to get them to want to play.”
The program also fills a larger gap, given the difficulty of finding daycare, Schwartz said. Community-based activities like soccer help create informal support networks for parents.
Megan Brenner, 42, who moved upstate from the city nine years ago and now lives in Hurley, said the league reflected AYSO’s core philosophy.
“Everyone should play, and everyone is welcome,” she said.
First-time coaches also found their footing. Newcomer Jordan Fairless, 40, who coached 3- and 4-year-olds, said he noticed improvements in dribbling and coordination during the season.
“I want them to have fun,” he said.
Occupational therapist Megan Alderson, 41, said she was initially hesitant to sign up her son Milo, but wanted to encourage him to step outside his comfort zone.
“Soccer felt like a good way to do that,” she said.
Chesley called the inaugural season, which included mud, cold weather and even deer scat, a success.
“Amidst the deer poop in November, the kids prospered,” she said with a laugh.
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.