The Stony Brook University Soccer Club has grown rapidly since its birth in the 2006/2007 academic year.

In 2008, when club president Derek Cope was a freshman, it consisted of a handful of soccer lovers.

Today, about 150 Stony Brook students are members, Cope said, including about 50 that play in competitions for the club and another 100 that play in recreational pick-up games.

Facebook pages, word-of-mouth and fliers helped the club expand to its current size.

“We have currently 240 members in our group. We estimate about 180-200 members still attend Stony Brook and the rest have graduated, which shows the demand for soccer on this campus is very high,” Cope said. Another method Cope has used to get more members has been posting pictures from past events and profiles to advertise for tournaments.

The club practices at the campus recreational fields, across from the train station on Monday and Thursday nights from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.

They also host “Football Friday” every Friday at 4 p.m., which is pick-up soccer regardless of experience, gender, or fitness capabilities.

Football Friday has been a huge hit for those who are a little nervous about playing with people with more ability.

As far as the competitive side, the club competes in two leagues: the Long Island Soccer Football League, which is a competitive men’s soccer league across Long Island, and the Eastern Division of the New York Collegiate Club Soccer League.

It joined the NYSCCL in 2011, which is made up of college teams from all over New York State. The Stony Brook team faces Hofstra, Adelphi, West Point, SUNY Albany, Union, RPI and SUNY New Paltz in its division.

The club competed in the Region 1 Club Soccer Tournament in Toughkenamon, Pa., and faced teams from all over the Northeast.  It played Ithaca College, University of Pennsylvania and Northeastern in the most recent tournament.

Currently, the club does not have a USG budget at Stony Brook. “The only money we have received from USG this year was an event grant, which covered the entry fee into the Region 1 Club Soccer Tournament,” said Cope. “All traveling expenses and equipment upkeep is paid for by club members, and we get by with equipment that we have been using for a couple of years now.”

With a relatively new club, Cope is looking at expanding in the future.

“The plans for the future include adding on to the amount of players that can compete competitively. As of now, we have the A team and B team structure; however, if we were able to receive more resources, such as a larger amount of field space and more equipment, we could easily add a C team to our program,” he said.

Also, the club is looking to add a women’s team in the future.

Club teams have become huge at Stony Brook University, and the Soccer Club is no different.

The club members also attend events together, who are mostly made up of watching soccer.

Going to see the professional New York Red Bulls game is one of the activities they enjoy together as a group.

Any person interested in joining the Stony Brook University Soccer Club should contact Derek Cope or visit its Facebook page.