NORFOLK - The Norwood-Norfolk Central School District athletic director says numbers weren’t as high as parents had feared for the school’s modified girls soccer team.

Parents had shared their concerns with school officials last month that more than 50 girls would want to participate in the soccer program, meaning limited playing time for the members.

But Paul Durant told board of education members Tuesday night those numbers came in much lower once the season started.

“There was only a total of 36 girls that actually showed up one time,” he said.

He said ninth graders are a part of the team while seventh and eighth graders alternate games, giving everyone an opportunity to play.

“You have to prepare some of these girls for varsity,” Mr. Durant said. “I have not received any calls. The girls seem to understand. So far it seems to be a good workable situation.”

Next week, he said, they’ll have the opportunity to split into two teams for games at Norwood-Norfolk.

“We’ll use both fields out there,” he said, referring to the district’s soccer fields.

Mr. Durant and Superintendent Elizabeth A. Kirnie said the modified soccer program has gotten a boost this year from the newly reformed Booster Club, which held its first organizational meeting in August and has been active since. Many parents who had shared their concerns about the soccer numbers are a part of that effort, they said.

“They reorganized and got themselves some officers. I think you’ll see them active at all the sporting events,” Mr. Durant said.

Mrs. Kirnie said members of the Booster Club were active at a recent fall festival in Norwood.

“They’re a very active group. They had a booth. I believe they’d had some sales at games,” she said. “I think they’ve seized this opportunity with the understanding that next year we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

The club was formed at a time when Norwood-Norfolk, like many other districts, has had to make cuts to its athletic offerings.

Because of state aid cuts, they and other districts in Section 10 made the decision to have fewer teams. In Norwood-Norfolk’s case, rather than having modified, junior varsity and varsity in several of their sports, they decided to move to modified and varsity to ensure every student had an opportunity to play.

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