LANCASTER, Pa. — On a sunny summer afternoon, some 90 youngsters were gathered at Amos Herr Park in Landisville, taking part in a Penn Legacy soccer club program.

As the children practiced soccer skills, parents retreated to camp chairs and the shade of one leafy tree; the scene was the very picture of middle-class ease.

But the folks running the soccer club aren't aiming for exclusivity.

They're now opening the Penn Legacy Academy, a skill development program for children ages 3 to 8, on a pay-what-you-can basis. And if what a parent can afford to pay is nothing, that's fine.

Their stated goal — and they hope it's going to be a winning one — is to give every child the opportunity "to play the beautiful game."

Academy director Gary Ross, who hails from an industrial, working-class town in Lincolnshire on England's North Sea coast, said he didn't come from a culture where parents could afford to hand over $75 for their kids to play "football." And he doesn't want youngsters to be kept out of the game he loves by financial concerns.

He wants children to have the chance to learn sportsmanship and teamwork, to make friends and have fun, away from their TV sets.

"There's a place on the soccer field for any child," he said, and this includes children with developmental disorders, such as autism.

Penn Legacy's efforts to open up the playing field to children who might not otherwise get a chance to play comes at a time when many parents are struggling to make ends meet, and their kids are being sidelined by tight budgets.

Harvard University political scientist Robert D. Putnam, speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival in June, pointed to a widening opportunity gap between rich and poor children.

While there always have been disparities in outcomes in American life, Putnam said, according to a transcript, a "sharply growing class divide among America's next generation" has "grown rapidly over the last two decades."

Over the last 40 years, he said, well-to-do American families have increased their spending on enrichment activities for their children by $5,300, while working-class parents have increased their investment by less than $500.

Rich kids are more likely to play after-school sports and to participate in other extracurricular activities, which help to pave their way to future success, Putnam said.

According to an article published in Psychology Today, "studies show that youth who participate in organized sports during middle and high school" — regularly and with some commitment — "do better academically and are offered greater job prospects than children who do not partake in sports activities."

The divide may widen even further, as more school districts implement pay-to-play policies in order to preserve sports programs and other extracurricular activities, such as band and drama, in the face of harsh budget cuts.

In Manheim Township School District, secondary students will have to pay $120 to participate in one sport or extracurricular activity, an additional $80 for a second activity, and $60 for a third, with a maximum of $260. The fees are waived for students who participate in the free or reduced-price lunch program.

Parents of a student who is not participating in the subsidized lunch program, but is facing financial hardship, can make their case to the district's athletic director, said Tim Williams, assistant to the superintendent for secondary education.

The participation fees don't cover the costs of the activities, but are "an effort to defray those costs." The alternative, Williams said, is "to not have any activities at all."

In the Conestoga Valley School District, the fees are significantly lower: $80 dollars for a student's first activity, $20 for a second, $10 for a third, with a maximum of $110. As at Manheim Township, the fees are waived for students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. The fees are not just for sports, but for any activity for which the district provides a paid adviser or coach. (Students do not pay fees for curriculum-related activities, like Quiz Bowl.)

Conestoga Valley Superintendent Gerald Huesken said "we try to sensitize our coaches, to be aware" of situations in which a family may be experiencing hardship, "so they can bring them to our attention."

But the reality is, he said, "I don't think our schools can provide everything. . The community may need to step up."

Another reality: Sports fees at the secondary level aren't even likely to be an issue for children who don't get to play as youngsters.

It's tough to get a spot on a high school sports team that requires tryouts if a child hasn't been participating in that sport from an early age.

Which is where organizations such as Lancaster Recreation Commission and, now, Penn Legacy, come in.

Five years ago, Lancaster Rec began offering youth athletic scholarships to help qualifying families in Lancaster city and Lancaster Township get their children involved in recreational sports.

Of the 2,774 children who participated in the Lancaster Rec sports programs last year, 45 percent received scholarships; most participated in more than one sport. Scholarships are based on family size and income level, and cover 50 to 75 percent of an activity's fee.

Sponsors of the scholarship program include Lancaster Osteopathic Health Foundation, Lancaster General Health and Highmark Blue Shield.

"We realize that the kids need somewhere to go, and it needed to be affordable," said Audra Landers, Lancaster Rec's director of sports services.

Daniel Willard, of Lancaster, has three sons, ages 8 to 11, who play on the recreation commission's baseball teams. "I wanted them to be involved. I had grown up playing soccer. . It was just a great experience, and I wanted them to have the same."

Sports are a great way of learning "self-confidence, discipline, teamwork" and how to handle adversity, he said.

"Kids learn a ton in school, but there is a development of the mind that you learn with social activities like this," Willard said. "It makes them stronger going forward."

With three boys, "you've got a lot of expenses," he said, so he's been grateful to receive partial scholarships for two of his children; his other child plays for free because Willard volunteers as a coach.

Venus Cortes has two boys, ages 5 and 9, who are involved in Lancaster Rec basketball and baseball. She said that as a single mom, she doesn't have any money for extras.

The Lancaster Rec scholarship program has enabled her sons to make new friends and try a variety of sports. "They seem more positive, more outgoing," she said. "They really enjoy it.

"I can see how happy they are every time they put on their uniforms. . It's fun to see them running around and feeling good about themselves."

Fun is the "No. 1 priority" of the Penn Legacy Academy program, Coach Ross said, noting that the program for children 8 and under is focused not on competition, but on developing skills and fostering a love of soccer. Competitive soccer comes later.

At the Academy level, Ross emphasizes the social aspects of soccer — friendship, teamwork, cooperation and developing self-confidence.

The kids play in small, ever-changing groups, rather than in set teams, so they get to know lots of other children, and learn to play and cooperate with different personalities.

Ross said he urges children to "just try your best. Instead of being nervous and scared, you should be buzzing and having fun."

The usual Penn Legacy Academy fee is $75. But last month, Penn Legacy modified its online registration to allow parents to register their kids for free.

There is no test of means; the club is trusting people not to take advantage of the program.

Some parents of the approximately 400 children who have already registered have offered to pay more, to offset the costs of those who can't afford to pay, said Dan Fisher, the club's director of marketing.

About 100 spots remain; registration for the fall season closes Aug. 10. The program runs for eight weeks (six weeks for preschoolers), and the season opens Aug. 27.

The club is seeking corporate sponsors to make its All Kids Play Fund permanent.

"It was a leap of faith," Fisher said. The club's board decided "we're going to do this and have faith that corporate sponsors are going to come on board," he said.

In the United States, soccer "has become pretty much a middle-class sport, and that has to change," said Seamus Donnelly, director of coaching for Penn Legacy, who's from Dublin.

In Europe and Latin America, where soccer reigns, kids play the sport regardless of their families' financial situations, he said.

He maintained that soccer, which requires relatively little equipment, should be a much more accessible sport here.

"All the countries that are very good at soccer, or 'football,' are countries where there are no barriers whatsoever to playing," Donnelly said.

He said he hoped that if corporate sponsors pitched in, Penn Legacy eventually could reduce the fees for its travel program.

Megan Minder, of East Hempfield Township, said she feels fortunate that her two children, ages 5 and 8, have been in Penn Legacy programs since they were preschoolers.

She said she's heard nothing but positives from other parents about the club offering free registration in the Penn Legacy Academy program.

"Every kid should have the opportunity to have fun, be on a team, develop that camaraderie," she said. "The more the better, I think."

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