After 44 minutes of intense play, sweat and smiles fill the indoor soccer arena. The Kings are celebrating their first win of the season. The Kings are part of a growing trend — adult women playing indoor soccer.

        At Soccer World in Forest Park where the Kings play, there are 200 active teams of women, men and co-ed.

RESOURCES

• Soccer World, Forest Park, 742-4442.   • Goal Indoor (a bi-monthly magazine). To subscribe, www.usindoor.com.

INDOOR ARENAS

• Soccer 1, Fairfax.   • Sports Plus, Evendale.   • Soccer World, Forest Park.   • Arena Indoor Soccer, Milford.   • Western Sports Mall, Western Hills.   • Town & Country Soccer Center, Wilder.

        “Seventeen years ago, our organization was one of the first to offer indoor soccer,” says Tyler Hausfeld, owner of Soccer World. “Now there are many competing arenas.”

        Marlene Feldhaus, an assistant at Soccer World, believes that soccer is gaining in popularity because qualified coaches are available.

        “Reading a soccer manual from the library no longer classifies you as a coach,” Ms. Feldhaus says. “Training is now a requirement for most coaches.”

        Young adults who grew up playing soccer find indoor leagues fun and challenging. And they're not just for men.

        The success of the U.S. women's soccer team in the World Cup and the Olympics brought attention to female players, Mr. Hausfeld says. At Soccer World, there are 71 female teams and 37 co-ed teams.

        comThe Kings play in an intermediate league. The team is composed of eight women. Teachers representing Kings' School District originally formed the team, giving it the masculine name. Goalie and front forward Amy Pelletier, 27, of Montgomery, enjoys the nature of female leagues.

        “It is not as competitive as co-ed soccer,” she says. “I feel a lot safer on the field with my female teammates.”

        Four years of softball at Mount St. Joseph have given Anita Murphy of Blue Ash athletic instincts. With her speed and ability to block passes, it is hard to believe she is a soccer novice. Ms. Murphy admits she is competitive. “If I am not competing against the other team, then I am competing against myself.”
       

Outdoor vs. indoor

               The speed and action of indoor soccer is similar to elements of ice hockey. However, ball control and the less physical nature of the sport mirror outdoor soccer.

        In indoor soccer, there are six players, including the goalie. Outdoor soccer consists of 11 players. Indoor soccer has a smaller playing field (100 yards by 50 yards), and goals, set within a wall.

        In outdoor soccer, any ball that goes outside the playing field is out of bounds. In indoor soccer, boundary restrictions are limited. There are no sidelines — instead there are walls which are in play.

        However, any ball that goes into the nets above the walls is out of bounds.

        The rules of indoor soccer differ between leagues. Soccer World offers leagues with teams ranging in ages from 4 to 60. The teams are also categorized as beginner, intermediate or advanced. On co-ed teams, a woman must touch the ball at least once before the team is allowed to score.

        Indoor soccer is played on artificial turf. The ball moves faster and bounces higher than on grass. Sliding and falling on artificial turf can add risk to indoor soccer but Ms. Feldhaus says, “There are just as many outdoor-related soccer injuries as indoor injuries.”

Indoor benefits
               The obvious benefit to playing indoor soccer is that it can be played in any season. In the winter, players can get their workouts while snow is on the ground. In the summer, air-conditioned arenas are a luxury when the sun is brutally hot.

        Soccer is an aerobic exercise, offering a whole body workout. For Kings player Carolyn Fehr of Wyoming, indoor soccer is not only a form of exercise, but a stress reliever that builds stamina.

        “Baseball players, who are in great shape and work out every day, take the soccer field,” says Ms. Feldhaus. “Twenty minutes later, they leave the field gasping for breath.”

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