By Special Guest, CAROL MARSH

"Way more kids play soccer than any other sport in the U.S. today," in the opinion of Dave Stodden, president of the Woodland Soccer Club.

The club serves about 800 kids, ages 6 through 18 years, from Wallingford, Green Lake and Phinney/Greenwood.

"Almost as many girls play as boys," says Stodden, "so right away you have twice as many people. A lot of little kids play soccer. It's an easy game to feel involved in. In baseball, if you can't hit or catch the ball, it can be frustrating."

Stodden coaches the Woodland Club and also plays on an adult team for mean over 40, the "Big Dogs." He has been playing soccer for more than 25 years. All three of his daughters have played soccer all their lives.

"More kids would play, but there's a real field shortage, especially here," he says.

Woodland Club referee Terry Iadanza has played soccer all his life, and his son has been playing since age 6.

Soccer is a good game for young children, Iadanza says, because the players "are always involved." The way the game is structured, the youngest children, ages 5, 6 or 7, "the mod level," have only three players to a side.

"If the play were farther away from them, they might fall asleep," Iadanza says. "Girls will start socializing. With mod soccer, the ball's always in your area. You've always involved."

More players are added to each side as the children grow older, until by age 12, each side has the full complement of 11 players.

The Woodland Club plays at B.F. Day Elementary School in Fremont, West Woodland Elementary, Whitman Middle School, Denny Playfield, Wallingford Playfield, Summit School, and the Green Lake field. The season starts in mid-September.

Registration for fall teams was done in May and June, but spots may still be available on some teams.

"If kids call us, we'll get them on a team," Stodden said. "If not here, then in Lake City or Queen Anne." The Woodland Club's number is 632-1930.

The Lake City Club needs players, said Registrar Sandie Williamson. "We're in dire need of 9, 10 and 11-year-old boys and girls."

Six years ago, the Lake City Club had 18 teams. As of last year, they were up to 42 teams, plus 22 micro teams for 5 and 6-year-olds, and even a mini-micro team for 4-year-olds, Williamson said. That's about 700 kids altogether.

She is enthusiastic about soccer because "it's positive for everybody - short, tall, skinny, fat, slow, fast."

Michael Mann has been coaching the Lake City team for four years. His two grown children have been playing since they were 5 years old, and now they're assistant coaches.

He started coaching 21 years ago in Snohomish County, "when my 5-year-old wanted to play. I signed up to be an assistant coach. The coach broke his leg the first day of snow, in an adult game, and suddenly I was the coach. It was one of those things that sort of got out of hand." He has coached soccer ever since.

Do kids have to worry about breaking their legs? "It's a contact sport, but there aren't that many injuries, especially at the recreation level," Mann says. "A twisted ankle, a sprained thumb, that's about it."

"Soccer is a game that can be played by every kid, regardless of ability or size or strength," he says. "It's a great team sport, and a sport where the players stay active all the time, constantly in motion."

The Lake City Club is a "recreation club," which means it doesn't compete at higher levels, "and we take all comers."

Starting mid-September, "most of the school fields in Lake City will have soccer games on the weekends," Mann says.

To get involved in Lake City, parents can call Registrar Sandie Williamson 365-7684. To speed up the process, applicants should fill out the registration form immediately, provide a copy of the child's birth certificate or other proof of age, and write a check for the registration fee.

The cost is $30 for 4, 5 and 6-year-olds, $40 for ages 7, 8 and 9, and $45 for ages 10 to 17. The fee covers insurance, uniform rental, a pair of socks, "an ice cream social, great referees, great coaches and lots of fun," Williamson said.

The Washington State Youth Soccer Association works out the schedule and arranges the use of playing fields for the entire state, according to Kathy Baker, executive assistance for the association.

"Since the World Cub in 1994, we've been growing at the rate of 10 percent a year," she said. "The state-wide association has 125,000 members, ages 5 to 19, engaged in club soccer, as distinct from school teams.

Seattle has local clubs in Ballard, Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, Hillwood, Lake City, Laurelhurst/View Ridge/Ravenna, Magnolia, Mt. Baker/Lakewood), Queen Anne, Shoreline and Woodland/Wallingford. They all belong to the Seattle Youth Soccer Association, which belongs to the state association, which started in 1956.

"We're part of the global community," Baker says. "And soccer is the NO. 1 game for people in the rest of the world.

Adult soccer is not organized on a geographical basis, because of the shortage of fields. The adult-nonproduct associations are the Washington State Soccer Association, for men and women, at 425-485-7855, and the Washington State Women's Soccer Association, at 206-626-6750.