Sunset Park girls soccer team gets new practice space

<p>A Sunset Park girls soccer team found a new practice space after being forced out of their last one.</p>

News 12 Staff

Sep 11, 2018, 12:49 AM

Updated 2,318 days ago

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A Sunset Park girls soccer team found a new practice space after being forced out of their last one.
News 12 reported that the team, with players ranging in age from 4 to 12, was ousted from the Sunset Park Recreation Center for not including boys in its all-girls program last summer.
Sunset Park resident Jack Deacon started the program six years ago after coaching boys soccer for years, saying that the boys usually played more aggressively, which is why he wanted to limit it to just girls.
Sources last summer said the team typically had fewer than 15 players and was unfair to boys who wanted to play. 
The Parks Department said at the time that its goal was to serve as many children as possible.
Deacon says there are few sports offered for young girls, and he didn't want to limit female athletes. 
The team had played outside since last August, even during the winter months.
Although the recreation center was free to use, the new space, Socceroof, requires a fee. Deacon says he was willing to do anything for the young soccer players and that the new space will allow the team to focus on the game. 
The team plans to continue practicing at the new space for as long as possible.
Deacon says he eventually plans to hand off coaching duties to his assistant coaches, who are both women. He says they would set the best example for the team.