Please don't call them soccer moms.

Although, it is true that some of these women are, in fact, mothers and, yes, they do play soccer.

"But we're not just moms," said Mary Swindal, of Mt. Lebanon. "Many of us don't have children."

Mrs. Swindal and a handful of others are trying to establish an area soccer league for one of the sport's most neglected population: women over age 25.

"There is some skepticism that women are not interested," she said. "But it's just not true."

When the youth soccer boom began in the early 1980s, girls played a big part. Thanks to Title IX, colleges began expanding their sports programs for women, and scholarship money opened up new opportunities to play beyond high school.

But beyond that? There is not much, at least in the Pittsburgh area.

PA West Soccer, the governing body for much of what goes on at all levels, offers coed leagues for older players, and there are leagues at the Pittsburgh Indoor Soccer Arena in Cheswick.

The Women's Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League has 14 teams in its over-19 competition.

Still, "not everyone wants to play against men or women who are 18," said Maura Rodgers, of Franklin Park.

Mrs. Rodgers, 36, played soccer at North Hills High School and club soccer at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After graduation, there was little chance to play, although she has been a coach at St. Athanasius Elementary School in West View.

"One day I happened to be talking to one of the other moms [at St. Athanasius] and she said, 'We play soccer indoors,' " she said, recalling her surprise.

A core group of women were playing pickup games at the Tri-County Soccer and Sports Complex in New Sewickley. This was seven years ago, and the group has grown to about 20 women who trek through all kinds of weather each Thursday night for the 9 o'clock games.

Mrs. Rodgers ran into a former North Hills teammate, Jen Halahan, 33, now living in Aspinwall. Both have small children; both realized they missed playing soccer on a regular basis. "We were sitting around after a game one night and said, 'This doesn't make any sense, why isn't there something here for us?

To that end, the women have been working with Keith Renner, of PA West Soccer, and Mark Perry, of Tri-State. They've compiled a list of about 80 names, with 55 women returning e-mail surveys expressing interest.

They've put a posting on Craig's List. Anyone interested in playing can contact Mrs. Rodgers at maurarod@msn.com.

Ideally, they could have a league, or at least a few teams, formed to play on area outdoor fields by spring or summer. Indoors is a bit trickier because playing time is at a premium.

Mrs. Swindal, 40, who was born in Pittsburgh but grew up in upstate New York, moved back to the area when her husband, Jim, got a teaching position at Duquesne University.

Mrs. Swindal, who played in high school and at the club level in college, was delighted to find an extensive league for older women in northern Ohio when her husband taught at John Carroll University.

The couple has four children, and playing soccer was physical and mental exercise for Mrs. Swindal. "When we moved here in the summer of 2005, I was kind of looking around for other women and tried a few coed leagues," she said.

But the driving distance to the Turner Valley complex in North Huntington was prohibitive.

"It's a solid hour, one way, getting there," she said. "I paid the fee twice, and both times, only made a game twice.

"Losing soccer was devastating. I got the Steelers, but it's not the same thing," she said, laughing.

For many players, getting back into shape to play soccer wasn't easy. It's one thing to work out at a gym or play tennis or run. It's quite another to have to concentrate on plays or footwork AND sprint up and down the field.

"You're on the field thinking 'I need to go over there' but you're, like 'I can't get all the way over there,' " Mrs. Rodgers said.

For Laura Lynn, of Brentwood, "The only way I know how to get into soccer shape is to play."

Ms. Lynn, 32, who grew up in Whitehall and was captain of her team at West Virginia Wesleyan, used to be a hard-core player.

"I had played for three teams, not just Baldwin [High], but Beadling and PA West. Then I went to college and played year-round."

Soccer was her life, but by her senior year, it became too much.

"I wanted to do something different. I was the captain, and I didn't want to see a soccer ball."

For years, she talked about getting back into soccer, but was afraid it wouldn't be satisfying because she had been so competitive in the past.

"When I first inquired, I was very surprised no one had a league for over-30," Ms. Lynn said. "Pittsburgh is a big city."

After playing her first game a few weeks ago, Ms. Lynn returned home happy.

"My roommate said, 'You have this big smile on your face, you look like a little kid.' "