For the sport of it

Evesham teams with private leagues so adults can play
BY NIKOLAI FOMICH • FOR THE COURIER-POST • OCTOBER 21, 2010

Sports fever has hit Marlton, thanks to new adult leagues.

"There was a strong demand for adult sports leagues among our residents," says Evesham Township Recreation Manager Nick Italiano.

That demand was filled by Glory Days Sports, a private league organizer now partnering with the township.

Founded in 2009, Glory Days was formed by four friends, including Matt DeNafo, president of the organization.

"We as a group played in many recreational leagues throughout South Jersey and always felt there were ways that they could be improved," DeNafo says. "We also saw an opportunity to expand certain sports that were offered in other areas but had not reached the South Jersey market."

Based in Winslow, Glory Days Sports now offers nine sports for South Jersey residents. Six of those sports -- soccer, softball, roller hockey, basketball, flag football and kickball -- are played in Marlton.

Glory Days approached Evesham's recreation department just as township cutbacks were putting the squeeze on programming such as adult sports leagues.

"Unfortunately, we had to let a lot of our staffers go and were unable to provide for the demand," says Italiano. "They approached us and now we run through them. We provide the facilities and they formulate the teams."

Those teams mean a lot to Marlton residents.

Newlyweds Megan and Chris Foti learned about Glory Days Sports through their township mailer.

The Marlton leagues -- and all leagues run by Glory Days -- are open to everyone, not just township residents.

"(We) decided to pursue it together and hopefully meet new people," says Megan Foti, an occupational therapist for medically fragile children and a doctoral candidate at Temple. "We have so much fun! Most of the team didn't know each other before our first game, but we got so close as the season went on and now we are a GDS force to be reckoned with!"

Katie Haughey, a health and physical-education teacher at Harrington Middle School in Mount Laurel, agrees.

"The guys who run it are really fun," she says. Haughey and her boyfriend, Marlton native Steve Roberts, began their participation with dodgeball. They went on to play coed flag football and later volleyball, a sport for which Haughey now plays center.

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"We plan to hit every sport," she says.

Italiano is pleased that athletic residents now have plenty of options.

"First it was a Saturday softball league. Then a kickball team and it grew from there. Response has been unbelievable. These tech-savvy guys, communicating through their blog and Facebook, have helped us create something for everyone," he says.

Participation in the leagues costs about $50 per person per sport.

DeNafo, the Glory Days president, says this is only the beginning.

"We are currently planning to add lacrosse, indoor volleyball and indoor soccer to the list of Marlton leagues as well as a few more tournaments. We are also beginning to expand into several other towns in the area," he says.

For Megan Foti, the Glory Days league has become the highlight of her week.

"Chris and I both look forward to our games each week and he takes his captain role very seriously. It's awesome that my husband is my best friend, but now he's also my teammate."

Foti says she and her husband plan on doing this as long as they can.

"Even when we decide to have kids, they'll be our little mascots!"

For those athletically inclined, it costs about $50 per person per sport to play in one of the recreational leagues. (Photo provided by Glory Days Sports Inc.)

TO JOIN A LEAGUE
For registration information, call (609) 878-0234 or visit
www.glorydayssports.net

Adults who want to get in the game(s) can join one of the many Glory Days Sports recreational leagues. Flag football is just one sport offered in Marlton. (Provided by Glory Days Sports Inc.)