Life has been busy for Debbie and Rob Dooley since their daughter, Allison, now a freshman at the University of Delaware, started playing soccer at the age of 4. "That was what we call bunch ball," Debbie says.

It was also the start of what has become a lifestyle for the Dooleys. Since that first soccer game 15 years ago, the pair has coached and watched hundreds of soccer, basketball, softball, baseball, football, lacrosse and even rugby games. In addition to Allison, the couple has a 15-year-old son, Robert III.

"My husband and I have always been pretty active," Debbie says, "and we just love sports. As soon as we had kids, we decided that one of our priorities would be to get them involved in organized sports. If you keep kids busy, there's not a lot of time left over for them to get involved in things they shouldn't be doing.

"It's also a great way for kids to meet people, be social and learn how to cooperate with others as a team member. And, for us, as full-time working parents, it was a way to spend time with them and be actively involved in their lives."

For the Dooleys, providing the proper equipment, driving to practices and cheering from the sidelines has never been enough, although they have certainly done their share of those things.

"We've both been to almost every game each kid has played except when a schedule conflict has required us to split up," Debbie says. "And, that's been really hard, because the few times we've had to miss one child's game to go to the other's, that always seems to be when the one we've missed plays an especially good game."

Beyond the chauffeuring and the cheering, the Dooleys themselves have been involved. "I wanted both of our kids to see that it's important not just to participate but also to contribute," Debbie says. To that end, Robert began coaching Allison's first "soccer tots" team. Debbie, who didn't know much about soccer at the time, jumped in when Allison took up softball and basketball.

Since then, both parents have coached and volunteered at tryouts, camps and tournaments. A full-time nurse manager at St. Agnes Healthcare in Baltimore, Debbie now has a part-time job as the state administrator for the Maryland Girls Olympic Development Program (ODP) for soccer. She shares the duties with a partner, Barbara Blandford.

"We take care of all of the administrative aspects of the program--setting up tryouts, collecting fees, distributing T-shirts, maintaining a player database--so that the coaches are free to just coach," Debbie says. "It involves lots of hours in the evening during peak periods."

The Dooleys are both pleased that their kids have picked up on the example they set by being more than just "parents on the sidelines."

"One of the things we're most proud of," Debbie says, "is that both kids have assumed leadership positions in school and sports."

"Sports have turned out to be a real family affair for us," she says. "Neither my husband nor I could have contributed at the level we did without the support of the other person. It's also been great for the relationship between our two kids--they're pretty close, and I think some of that is from all the years of supporting each other at athletic competitions."

With Allison no longer involved in youth soccer, people often ask Debbie how much longer she'll keep doing the ODP job, but she doesn't see herself bowing out any time soon. "I really enjoy working with the kids and seeing them progress through the system to play at higher levels of competition," she says, "I love the sport, and this is a way that I can give back to it. I guess I'll keep doing it until it gets to be too much for me, or until they fire me--whichever comes first."

Even if she moves onto other things, it is unlikely Debbie Dooley will ever get too far away from youth sports. Maybe she could take on coaching again when her first grandchild reaches that magical age of 4 and is old enough to sign up for "bunch ball."

In the meantime, the family has been busy following the Blue Hen soccer team up and down the East Coast this fall. Although she is only a freshman, Allison has started every game at the fullback position. "She is having a great time and just loves the school," Debbie says.