Dangerous Soccer Kids Exposed

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Coach Corlette ties shoe of hardened criminal.

A group of Bethlehem Township residents have told Commissioners twice, on October 3 and again on April 3, that a 6.59-acre pocket park at the end of the Anthony Drive cul-de-sac, should be reserved for them ... and only them.

In October, they objected to Lehigh Valley Magic, a girls' soccer team, that conducted games and tournaments every weekend, leading to lots of noise and traffic congestion.

Now, the FC Falcons's 10U boys use the park for practices, and just two nights a week. No games. Some residents complained anyway. Amazingly, they claim parks don't belong in residential communities, decrease property values and lead to increases in crime.

But Kim Kanopka, a Township resident whose 10 year-old son Kenan plays for the Falcons, thinks these complaints are "a little ridiculous. To find there's animosity in our own Township is a little disappointing,:" she said as she watched her son practice on April 4.

Adam Kostenbader demonstrates his skills.

According to team manager John Kostenbader, the team consists of ten boys, all from the Township. In fact, two come from the exclusive Bethlehem Estates development, where the park is located.

"I'm not sure how these little boys are going to cause a lot of crime," he said, as Coach Ivor Corlette tied one of the boys' shoes. Kostenbader and Corlette both stated they use the field for practices only, and that their home games are played in Allentown.

"We tried to do everything right," Kostenbader stated, noting there was even a petition supporting the practices, signed by about thirty residents of Bethlehem Estates. He added that the boys are under constant adult supervision.

The boys loved the attention. As a WFMZ-TV camera van sat in the cul-de-sac, nine year-olds Adam Kostenbader and Omar Silva put on their best moves.

Does this boy look like a burglar?

"We're going to be on TV!" they assured each other.

In the distance, a lawnmower could be heard. It was louder than these boys, just as Parks and Recreation Chairman Barry Roth told Commissioners on April 2..

A travelling team, the Falcons have won five of the six tournaments in which they've played this year.

But they lost on April Fool's Day. Coach Corlette blamed the weather.