MANALAPAN — Boys and girls soccer players at Manalapan High School are looking good in new uniforms this season, courtesy of the Manalapan Soccer Club.
Manalapan Soccer Club officials said the high school players were wearing old uniforms and a decision was made to provide all six teams (freshman girls and boys, junior varsity girls and boys and varsity girls and boys) with new home and away jerseys for the 2022 season, which is underway.
Many Manalapan Soccer Club board members have children playing for the high school teams and personally saw the poor condition of the uniforms, said Alan Bright, a representative of the club.
Ron Bromberg, the club’s publicity chairman, said, “Numbers on the jerseys were literally hanging by their last thread, players were wearing mismatched shorts and jerseys … It was definitely quite embarrassing to the Manalapan players when they saw their opponents in nice threads.”
After discussing the possibility of making a donation to the school, the club’s board members researched the matter and then met with Beth English, the high school’s supervisor of extracurricular activities and athletics.
The idea of donating uniforms to the high school was put to a vote and unanimously approved within the Manalapan Soccer Club.
SoccerPost of Eatontown and the Manalapan Soccer Club have a long-standing relationship, according to Bright. A price for the uniforms was agreed upon and a timeline was established so the uniforms would be ready for the start of the season.
The club’s order was placed in mid-July and the uniforms arrived on Sept. 2. Manalapan High School was provided with the new uniforms on Sept. 6 and the players wore them when the season began on Sept. 8.
“The Manalapan Soccer Club attempts each year to make several worthwhile donations in and around our community and we felt this donation met that definition. The vast majority of the kids who play soccer for Manalapan High School have been a part of our club, so who better to reap the benefits of our donation,” Bright said.
The club’s general funds were used to make the purchase, according to Bright.
“We are very grateful for the continuous support from the Manalapan Soccer Club and from the Manalapan community as a whole. We are excited to foster and maintain this relationship. Now our kids look as good as they play,” English said.
In total, the Manalapan Soccer Club provided Manalapan High School with 150 field uniforms: 75 boys and 75 girls, which include home and away jerseys and shorts, and 24 goalie jerseys: 12 boys and 12 girls.
