Arriving early in the morning to a local elementary school field, Sharalee Johnson could smell the aroma of freshly cut grass as it wafted through the air. Faint yells and cheers along with an occasional whistle from a referee grew stronger as Johnson approached the designated field.

Soon she was surrounded by kids half her size, all running and kicking a ball. Johnson is like thousands of other soccer moms through the state.

"Soccer has become the Saturday morning activity at our house," Johnson said. "During the spring and the summer, it seems like we are missing something if we don't have a game in the morning."

The once rarely played game of soccer is now one of the most-played sports by Utah's adults and children with more than 200,000 players in the state, according to representatives at Real Salt Lake. Soccer has seen great success during the last decade with the help of a Major League Soccer franchise in Salt Lake City and a dramatic increase in the Hispanic population.

By the numbers

Utah has the nation's highest per-capita participation in organized soccer, according to Bobby Ginn, executive director of Utah Youth Soccer.

"I would say roughly 40,000 to 45,000 children play soccer in Utah," Ginn said.

Those 45,000 play on a combination of city and county recreation teams, as well as various club teams.

Children, however, are not the only ones playing soccer. Bill Bosgraaf, president of the Utah Soccer Association, estimates more than 120 adult teams in Utah, with 18 players on the average team.

In all, Real Salt Lake estimates there are nearly 200,000 soccer players in Utah.

The bulk of soccer players are located in Salt Lake County, but other counties are growing great soccer talent.

"Most of our best soccer is migrating to the north of the state," Ginn said before adding, "Utah County is always growing. They have gone from two or three clubs to five or six [in recent years]."

The majority of soccer players are boys, but Ginn said the boy-girl ratio is close.

Utahans not only like to play soccer, but they like to watch soccer as well.

"We have been in the top three or four in attendance league-wide [in Major League Soccer]," said Trey Fitz-Gerald, senior director of broadcasting and communication at Real Salt Lake. "We average about 17,000 fans a game."

Fitz-Gerald said they are happy and impressed with the fans because although Real Salt Lake has been ranked close to last in the league, it hasn't affected home-game attendance.

Why in Utah?

Utah has a lot of "soccer savvy" fans, according to Fitz-Gerald. A lot of credit for interest in soccer is due to returned missionaries, the Olympics and Hispanics.

About half of all returned missionaries in Utah have served outside the country, many in places where soccer is a way of life. After spending two years in an immersed environment, they come home and are interested in soccer.

"No matter the gender or culture, soccer is unifying," Fitz-Gerald said.

The 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City was another driving force that led to the acceptance of soccer as a pastime.

"The Olympics gave Utahans a taste of what it meant to be on an international stage," Fitz-Gerald said. He said soccer is an international stage that has to be recognized.

According to a 2006 media audit, Utah has the third-fastest-growing Hispanic population in the nation. Many Hispanics grow up with a love of soccer equal to or greater than an American child's love of football.

Fitz-Gerald referred to the Hispanic community by saying they are an "audience that already loves soccer." Ginn and Fitz-Gerald said many Hispanics are not registered under the Utah Youth Soccer Association, but they still play a lot of soccer.

Fitz-Gerald said there are at least six major Hispanic leagues in the valley, many of which play on Sunday simply because there is no other day the fields are open.

Lack of Fields

Having an open field to play soccer on is becoming a major problem.

"The only thing that we are missing is fields," Bosgraaf said. "There are not enough fields [in Utah] to go around."

Although there are many county recreation centers and parks throughout the state, soccer fields are not usually included. This is likely due to the stretched budget for park maintenance, which barely reaches to maintain baseball fields.

Soccer fields are more costly to maintain, and it is difficult to find land to place them. Because of this, soccer fields are often neglected in park planning.

Bosgraaf added most soccer fields are being used too often and are being worn out. Soccer is not as harsh on a field as football, but it is worse than other sports, such as baseball.

"You need more fields so you can rotate," he said.

Utah's second professional sports team

Real Salt Lake has been impressed with fans in Utah.

When a reporter from CNN came to report on RSL's first home game in 2005, he commented to Fitz-Gerald how he couldn't believe how intelligent the fans in Utah were. Fitz-Gerald said the reporter commented about how the fans booed at the bad calls, rallied the home team when they weren't playing well and hacked at the visiting team when they deserved it.

"There is a very deep, knowledgeable soccer culture here in Utah," Fitz-Gerald said.

Season ticket holders for RSL live in most of Salt Lake City's surrounding counties, but the majority still call Salt Lake County home. That may change, however, when the new stadium in Sandy opens in October.

Soccer is a unique sport because it appeals to as many women as men. Fitz-Gerald said nearly 40 percent of RSL's home-game attendance is female, which is extremely high for any sporting event.

"It speaks to gender inclusion," Fitz-Gerald said. Soccer is unique because it does include everyone - soccer moms, kids and dads.

"Soccer has a way of getting into people's blood" Fitz-Gerald said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 13 Jun 2008