By Janelle Davis
 

Conor Cohen, who finished his Arlington Soccer career with the Arlington Soccer’s Boys 05/04 Red team earlier this spring, has been playing for Arlington Soccer since second grade.
 

Cohen is a recent graduate of Washington-Liberty High School and plans to attend Lafayette College in the fall, where he will continue playing soccer. When he wasn’t playing soccer, Cohen spent his high school years as co-president of his school’s 80-member ping pong club and as a member of the ACLU club.

Beyond his high school community, Cohen is also making an impact at Arlington Soccer. During the winter of his junior year, Cohen applied to Arlington’s Players First Leadership Council (PFLC): a collective of Arlington Soccer players who contribute to the club’s community impact and player experience initiatives.

Cohen speaks very highly of his experience on the PFLC. He describes the council’s work as volunteering in the community, providing a youth perspective and helping to better the club.

“It was easy to get involved and it’s amazing making an impact behind-the-scenes,” he said.
 

Cohen’s favorite project with PFLC is a recent campaign to improve sideline behavior. Members of the PFLC aided in the planning, filming and execution of various videos and other materials to encourage positive behavior from parents and fans on the sidelines of Arlington Soccer games.

The PFLC is one of many aspects of Arlington Soccer that have been impactful for Cohen. The club, says Cohen, has been a source of support in his life for more than a decade.

“It is such an awesome environment, and you get to meet so many different people, not just the kids on your team,” Cohen said of the Arlington community.

Cohen credits the club, and specifically his coach Jake Ouimet, with his efficient and successful recruitment journey. The exposure that Arlington provided, in terms of college showcases and filming Cohen’s games, played a major role in his being recruited to Lafayette.

Cohen encourages anyone interested to consider joining the PFLC. In his experience, getting involved is an easy and incredibly rewarding process. Everyone on the council is easy to work with and it is a very collaborative experience.

“It’s really cool to feel like you’re making a significant difference in the club,” he said.