From the Tiny Tots – most of whom can’t even lace up their own cleats yet – to the oldest U17 boys, teams in nearly a dozen divisions hit the playing fields at Hogan-Ennis Park on Saturday, Aug. 2 to officially kick off the youth soccer season.

This year featured more than 900 registered participants in the Escalon Recreation Department program, with many of the teams sponsored by local businesses, service clubs or organizations.

The youngest group is the Tiny Tots, three- and four-year-olds just learning the game and learning about sportsmanship and teamwork. They play co-ed soccer, as do the U6 teams, although the U6 program does feature a goalie, while the Tiny Tots do not.

Then they break into boys and girls divisions for the older age groups, with play on Saturday seeing teams including U8 girls, U8 boys, U10 girls, U10 boys, U12 girls, U12 boys, U14 boys, U15 girls and the U17 boys getting a chance for opening day games.

Fans brought lawn chairs, beach umbrellas, blankets, and coolers full of snacks as they settled in to enjoy the action. Families with more than one child taking part found themselves spending the better part of the day on Saturday at the Hogan-Ennis complex in order to watch all the games.

Competition is scheduled each Saturday, continuing through Sept. 27, with a break over the Labor Day weekend. No games are scheduled on Saturday, Aug. 30, the start of the three-day holiday period. They resume on Sept. 6 and games typically begin at 8 a.m. and continue throughout mid-afternoon, with age divisions and teams scattered among the various fields at the park adjacent to the Escalon Community Center. There are a varying number of teams in each age division as well, and the older divisions also take their names from professional soccer squads, such as the LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes.