The following article has been submitted to the local newspapers [minus the picture].
Sensational Soccer
By Brad Kimble
Chances are, if you read the title of this article and saw my name, you probably know that I have a little bit to do with soccer in this town. But for those of you who might not know me, my name is Brad Kimble. I have been involved with this game since I was five years old and soccer has become one of my passions. In addition to playing, I have coached at the Parks and Recreation level for nine years, I am the coordinator and one of the licensed coaches for the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club, and I am the assistant varsity and junior varsity coach for the Jersey High School girls’ teams. I take great pride in the fact that Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club has had a certain amount of success and that is now filtering into the boys and girls high school programs. There is a good chance that if your child plays soccer in this community, our paths will cross at some point or another.
I’d like to take a moment to share what is on my heart, if you don’t mind. I firmly believe that I have surrounded myself with the absolute best people in the world. I have a fantastic wife who puts up with my never-ending schedule. I have fabulous children. I have great coaches who work within the guidelines I’ve put over them. I have an awesome level of business support in this community that helps me reach the financial obligations of the Strykers Soccer Club. And most importantly, I have the most excellent parents ever. They have allowed the other coaches and me to train their children not only the game, but also a certain level of character that allows them to play the game with dignity. To all of you, “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!”
A few months ago, the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club held its annual summer soccer camp. There were just over seventy campers this year and right at thirty volunteer coaches to help run the various stations. We have had two other soccer camps run by professional level trainers within the past few months. The high school program brought in a local college coach to run their conditioning camp. In July, a former soccer Olympian, John Carenza, was at the high school for an “Olympic Day.” Three of the Strykers teams participated recently in The Kickoff Classic in Carlinville. Those same three teams either have or will participate in the Gillespie tournaments. Three of the five Stryker teams have begun playing in the Southern Illinois Soccer League (SISL), which includes several of the teams involved in our current high school conference – further increasing the chances of high school success. The Jerseyville Parks and Recreation Soccer season is now underway. And finally, the high school boys are completing their season with nearly forty players. With all of this soccer activity, no one in this community would deny that soccer is thriving. In fact, when adding all players who play soccer throughout the year in our community, the total number is near 400 players.
I’d like to challenge this community to consider what this game could really do for our local economy. With the exception of the few who play for our local Parks and Recreation Department’s Fall league and the home games for the high school teams, all of our families travel to other communities for games, whether playing in tournaments or leagues. Consider the Carlinville Tournament, for example, that services soccer teams from approximately sixteen communities for their week-long Kickoff Classic. There are approximately forty-four teams involved within six age levels, each team paying approximately $150.00. That is nearly 700 players attending this tournament. Add to that the number of family members and friends who watch these exciting games, work up an appetite, and decide to quench their hunger at the tournament’s concession stand or frequent several local businesses. By the way, The Kickoff Classic boasts a minimum of thirty local business sponsorships to help fund the tournament. The Gillespie tournaments include roughly 26 teams. And the SISL league varies by age and gender divisions which could include anywhere from 8 to 18 teams. These teams all play a minimum of ten games traveling for half of their games to other communities. Our Strykers teams have to rent fields at Gordon Moore Park in Alton for our home games because there are no suitable soccer fields in this community. Not only do we not have fields, we do not have the revenue generating from the ability to host our own tournaments and league home games.
As the Coordinator for the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club, I’d like to think we could do better for so many children in our community. Personally, my main focus is to develop the best quality players through training and frequency of competitive play. I am not a politician. I am not part of the money machine. I am not part of the decision making process of social or athletic growth in this community. But I am a coach who knows the potential of our players. I am concerned because there are obvious obstacles placed in the way. I am frustrated because we allow ourselves to spend in other communities without providing more opportunities for people of other communities to spend here. I believe soccer could generate a substantial increase to our local economy. It has already proven to be successful despite its obstacles. It is growing numerically and competitively. It has allowed families to collectively cheer for teams that work together. Those families continually support their players even if that means traveling an hour to watch a game – sometimes doing that three times a week. Imagine what the game could do to our community as it gains support from a broader audience!
If you would like to know more about the Jerseyville Strykers Soccer Club, please contact Brad Kimble through E-mail: jerseyvillestrykers@yahoo.com, or check out the Strykers’ blog: http://jerseyvillestrykers.blogspot.com. If you would like to come watch a Strykers Soccer Club team in action, please check out the “game schedules” link on the site: www.sisl.org. We play through November, so bring your hot cocoa, blankets, and layers.
