Join us on Saturday, March 15 from 10:00-2:00pm at WRAL Soccer Center to celebrate CASL's Birthday!
Timeline:
- 10:00am: party starts - bounce house, sponsors, and vendors will be on site; free giveaways from CASL and vendors will also start. We'll be giving away CASL pencils and also you can stop by our table for a chance to take home a mini NCAA soccer ball, NCAA t-shirts, CASL 40th Anniversary t-shirts sponsored by Pet Mania, or a drawstring bag
- 11:00am: Cake Cutting #1 - cleats will be cutting the first cake; come enjoy FREE cake
- 11:30am: The Pit BBQ will be ready to eat!
- 12:30pm: Remarks and Check Presentation to Kay Yow Cancer Fund
- 12:45pm: Cake Cutting #2 with Cleats and his friends
- 2:00pm: Party wraps up
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| The Pit BBQ will be selling fresh BBQ sandwiches and plates beginning around 11:30am! |
The Pit Authentic Barbecue will be cooking hogs Friday night at the complex ready to serve BBQ sandwiches and plates. A portion of your purchase will come back to support CASL. Also, CASL sponsor Harris Teeter generously donated 5 sheet cakes to the birthday party. We'll have chocolate, vanilla, and marble cake to give away during the event. We hope you can join us as we celebrate our history, embrace the present, and prepare for the future of CASL!
Nearly 40 years ago, the "Raleigh Soccer League" was born out of the minds of six soccer passionate individuals in Wake County: William J. Plunket, Jr., N.P. Zarzar, Eugene J. Eisen, Pat B. Hamilton (a la Hamilton Sportsmanship Award), Jerry T. Salmon, and R. Fred Littrell. In 1979, our name officially changed to "Capital Area Soccer League." Whatever name we were operating under, Capital Area Soccer League has grown from its humble beginnings to a national powerhouse soccer club. The individuals who came before us as parents, coaches, city officials, players, and key decision makers in our area who brought the game to youth in Wake County all played a critical role in laying the foundation for a youth soccer club that had the potential to grow into what it is today. CASL now houses more than 8,000 youth participants across all divisions of play and remains one of the few full-service soccer clubs around.
I recently found an old "Minutes" book from Board meetings in 1978 (just before the name switched to Capital Area Soccer League). The Raleigh Soccer League was clearly created out of a need for youth soccer in the area. In January of 1978, the report indicated four divisions of play with 110 teams and 1753 players! We've come a long way in our operations, and it's exciting to think about the next 40 years as we reflect on the past 40 years. We will find ways to for you to share you stories with us, but in the mean time, you can always tweet (@CASLnc; #CASL40) your images and stories. Check out these pictures from excerpts of the old minutes book.
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| scheduling system in 1978 |
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| Budget in 1978 |
Credit must be given to Dr. Preston Bradshaw and his board consisting of Don Lucy, Bob Hill, Wayne Clausen, Art Karesh, Buie Costen and many others, which followed the original group of men who started the league. Under Preston's leadership what was originally a Raleigh city sponsored soccer program became a private soccer organization. Mini city fields were donated by the Weaver family, the goal posts were donated by Peden steel and untold volunteer hours by coaches, parents, and future boards. Wake Forest and Cary were brought into the league during Bradshaw's tenure, thus it became the Capital Area Soccer League.
ReplyDeleteWhat you see today is the result of countless volunteer hours by many residents of Wake County and a proud legacy to pass on to future generations.
Mr. Karesh,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the comment and the brief history lesson! We have been trying to learn more and piece together the history of CASL and all those that came before us. I'd love to connect with you and hear more about the the early Raleigh Soccer League and Capital Area Soccer League. Feel free to email me directly: katharine.kelley@caslnc.com. I'd love to document the history so we can have it to share.
Thanks for all you and the many others who paved the way for CASL today!
Katharine
CASL Director of Relations