Every Tuesday and Thursday at noon, the rapid crunch of grass and competitiveness on the North Athletic Field is countered by the occasional soccer player casually leaving for a meeting.
The players are mostly UCLA staff members, but a number of faculty and students also participate in the biweekly games.
Eight months ago, four staff members in Mail, Document and Distribution Services began the tradition of playing pick-up soccer at lunch during days otherwise consumed by work.
Their group grew, but they had a hard time finding a place to play at first. They searched for open fields or patches of grass, but were often kicked off the area.
When they requested permission a few months ago from UCLA Recreation to use a field, they heard of Fit Sports ““ an open lunchtime sports program run by UCLA Recreation. The program began in 2007 to help support campus community health and requires no registration or weekly commitments, said Jason Zeck, program director of competitive sports for UCLA Recreation.
It felt good to have a stable place to play each week, said David Cortez, a mail processor for the Mail Services department who participates in the games. Eagerly, Cortez and his fellow workers joined the pre-existing Fit Sports players.
At the games, players form light and dark teams based on the color of the shirts they happen to wear on a given day, said Roberto Salazar, human resources and administrative manager for the Fowler Museum. The number of players also varies depending on the day.
Although the Fit Sports players on the pitch are mostly men, first-time participant Tania Perez, an administrative assistant for the department of human genetics, was among two women who participated in a game Thursday.
Perez said she appreciates the challenge of competition the workout provides.
Tannya Lovato, an administrative analyst, also plays regularly. She said she finds another world in soccer, where stress and problems melt away.
Her son visits campus to play with the group now too, and his girlfriend sits on the bleachers to watch.
The popularity of the games grew mainly because of word of mouth and passersby. Now an average 12 to 22 people show up, depending on the day, Zeck said.
Some players, like Salazar, stumbled upon the game while walking by the field. Salazar saw the game one lunchtime as he strolled outside the Fowler Museum.
An avid soccer player for 30 years, he said he decided to take part in the friendly exercise. Now, he regularly plays and showers at the Student Activities Center before heading back to work in the museum.
“This is a great program. It gives staff and faculty the chance to just get out here and sweat a little,” said Bill Harris, a program analyst for the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics.
The games remain open to undergraduate students who want to participate too.
Ben Steeper, a supervisor for UCLA Recreation and fourth-year cognitive science student, heads down to the North Athletic Field to unlock the gate for the players, supervise the games and provide any necessary first aid.
“And I get to play,” Steeper said. “I was looking for an excuse to play soccer anyway because I’ve been playing all my life.”
Despite intense sprints across the field, stumbles on the pitch and the sting of the ball as players skillfully bounce it off their chests and heads, the games remain friendly and open to the public. Everyone is welcome to play ““ no experience level is required, and the final scores remain unrecorded.
But the games do grow competitive.
“Early on, we got a lot of people who just wanted to come out and run around a little bit,” Harris said. “But they got a little scared off when we had skilled people showing up who would dance around them.”
Harris said he read about the Fit Sports games in a recreation guide four years ago and decided to give them a shot.
“We can’t say (Harris) has really been playing. Attempting is more like it,” Salazar said, jokingly.
The friendly banter is a common feature of the games. And the interdepartmental camaraderie formed on the field is one of the best parts, said Manny Castro, a customer service representative for the Mail Services department, before running out onto the field to take his position as the game began.
With contributing reports by Liz Schnieder, Bruin contributor.