For players, skill and experience don’t matter as much as faith and fellowship

Madison Heights — A midfielder plays a through ball to an attacker; the center back steps up to make a challenge. The striker puts his head down and fires a shot, ringing off the crossbar.

Groans are heard from the sidelines as the ball bounces out of play — rolling next to Fr. Stephen Pullis, who’s hearing confessions by the corner flag.

OK, it’s not the FIFA World Cup in Russia. But for the teams of the Catholic Young Adult Soccer League, it’s a chance to connect with fellow Catholics and share a game they love.

Entering its 12th year, the Catholic Young Adult Soccer League has been a mainstay in young adult ministry as a “shallow entry point” for those who want to play soccer and meet fellow Catholics.

“We started out at the old St. Dennis Parish in Royal Oak and then for two seasons we were at Ladywood High School in Livonia,” said Dan Garnell, a member of St. Frances Cabrini Parish in Allen Park and communications chairperson for CYAS. Today, the league plays at Bishop Foley High School in Madison Heights, a central location that also accommodates more teams on two separate fields.

The co-ed league has 12 teams named after important places in the Old and New Testaments; last year’s teams were named after the apostles, and the year before that it was books in the Bible.

The league runs through the summer months on Saturdays, composed of everyone from former college players to those who have never kicked a ball before.

“This is my second year in CYAS,” said Amy McGuckin, a parishioner of Assumption Grotto in Detroit and member of Team Antioch. “I played when I was a kid, but then got away from it; this league got me back into soccer. The league is a fun exercise in the summer and great way to meet a bunch of Catholics. Plus the games aren’t on Sundays, so you don’t have to miss Mass.”

Teams are organized with a mix of advanced and beginning players, and games feature 8-on-8 soccer that emphasizes sportsmanship, team building and Christian fellowship over wins and losses.

Christine Center of the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak is the captain for Team Jerusalem and has served in various leadership roles in the league, including as past president.

“One thing that sets our league apart from other leagues is we make it distinctively Catholic; every single games begins and ends with prayer,” Center said.

As far as the soccer goes, Center added a key ingredient to the league’s success is mixing experienced players with beginners, creating a climate that encourages newer players to learn the fundamentals of the game.

“There is a lot of teaching and a lot of leadership development that happens here,” Center said. “Whether it’s teaching people how to do a throw-in, where to stand in a formation, how to pass the ball. We all are out here to encourage one another. I think this is one of the best shallow-level entries the archdiocese has right now, because everybody can walk onto a soccer field and play with other people. It doesn’t take someone with a theology degree to participate.”

In addition to the play on the field, priests often show up to offer confessions or spiritual council, and league officials invite players to brunch at a nearby by restaurant for fellowship.

“CYAS is a very unique, no-pressure atmosphere. It’s not often you’re in a soccer league where you have a priest on the sidelines,” Garnell said. “If you are someone who is having difficulty in their faith, or hasn’t been to church in a while, this is a no-pressure environment where that opportunity is available.”

So no, CYAS is not the same level of intensity as the World Cup. But it does hold a similar power to bring people together.

“This is where people of different levels of faith can come together, and people of different levels of skill can come together,” Center said. “People love soccer, it’s the universal language in sports. And this is a great way to meet people and talk about the faith.”