CASL 40th Birthday Party Recap

CASL 40th Birthday Party Recap

Written by Kieran Downey, CASL Intern

This past Saturday, March 15^th, CASL held its 40^th Anniversary Celebration at WRAL Soccer Center. The event was a chance to celebrate the club’s history, to thank all the members for their support over the years, and to look forward at what the future has in store for CASL.  Though the wind tried to blow out the candles a bit early on the celebration, the beautiful 70 degree and sunny weather prevailed to provide the perfect atmosphere.

The festivities kicked off at 10am and ran strong till 2pm.  A few of our wonderful sponsors, fellow community members came out in full force to help celebrate with CASL.  Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bruegger’s Bagels, Carolina RailHawks, Crown Trophy, Top Form Soccer, Miracle Feet, and the EF Foundation for Foreign Study all participated in the celebration.  They provided guests with fun activities, prizes, and also promoted their fantastic organizations and causes.  CASL’s mascot Cleats the Dog was also on hand to pose for pictures and to keep the party going.

The Pit Authentic Barbecue was on site to sell their delicious North Carolina style barbecue.  The smell from their whole hog, pit-cooked barbecue wafted throughout WRAL, and I’m sure it rumbled the stomachs of many out at the park.  If you didn’t get a chance to try some on Saturday, I highly recommend that you get out to The Pit soon to see that North Carolina barbecue is the real deal. 

The celebration also featured a bounce house, courtesy of Inflate-A-Party, which kids went bonkers for.  Kids lined up several times to expend their seemingly endless energy jumping in and sliding down the bounce house, much to their parents’ delight.

 

The event culminated with CASL board member John Dalpe giving a brief speech on the club’s 40 years, a cake cutting ceremony featuring sheet cakes donated by CASL sponsor Harris Teeter, and a check presentation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.  Earlier this year CASL raised over $10,000 (in reality it was more than $14,000 if you add the proceeds from the silent auction we hosted on site plus the merchandise sales from Kay Yow Cancer Fund that would not have happened without this event) for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund through the Play 4Kay 4v4 Soccer Tournament, which the club proudly presented to Kay Yow representatives at the celebration in the form of a huge check.  The $10,000 raised adds to the $3.8 million raised by Play 4Kay since 2007 that helps fight women’s cancer by funding scientific research.

The event was a hit, and after all the hard work put in by the CASL staff and volunteers to get it organized, it was great to see everyone out there enjoying themselves.  Thanks to all those who came out to celebrate CASL’s 40^th, we hope you had a good time.  CASL has had an incredible 40 years of providing youth soccer to the area, and we can’t wait to see what the next 40 years has in store for CASL!

Happy Birthday to CASL!

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

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!

Here's some history with more to come throughout the year: 

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. 

scheduling system in 1978

Budget in 1978

CASL teams making a statement in 3v3 soccer world

We are always happy to share achievements of our teams as they compete in games and tournaments across the country. Sometimes, groups of players from teams form their own mini-teams to compete in extra tournaments outside of the traditional tournaments. 

CASL has had many successful teams emerge in the 3v3 world. For example the WolfPack Girls, who I have to mention was the first team to sign up for CASL's Play 4Kay 4v4 in January, have a successful track record within the 3v3 competition. They swept their bracket in the Play 4Kay 4v4 and used it as preparation for the Disney 3v3 Soccer Championships the following week. They've had success in CASL's RailHawk 3s as well, which will be back around this summer so start thinking about your team.

Another team with success at the CASL RailHawk 3's is the CASL RailHawks 3v3 team comprised of members from the U11 Elite Black North team. The self-named CASL RailHawks qualified for the Disney 3v3 Nationals through CASL's RailHawk 3's last summer. They ended up playing the top U11 division (Invitational Gold) at the National 3v3 Championships. I learned that you qualify for the gold division by being a top 4 team at the qualifying tournament. The CASL RailHawks ended up finishing 2nd in the tournament, losing in the national championship game. 

CASL RailHawks (pictured from left): Coach Hassan Pinto, Malik Pinto, Chris Martin, Trace Alphin, Jake Smith, Lucas Pleasants, and of course, Mickey Mouse as an honorary member

CASL RailHawks: Disney 3v3 National Finalists

We look forward to more successes on and off the field for our CASL players this spring!

CASL: Celebrating 40 years of soccer!

On March, 15th CASL will officially celebrate 40 years of soccer in the greater Wake County Area. As a club, we technically go over the hill on Tuesday, March 11. But, in order to create a deserving atmosphere for our 40th Anniversary, we will be celebrating on Saturday, March 15 at WRAL Soccer Park. More details will be released in the coming days, but you can expect Cleats and his friends to show up, a celebratory cake, food, and a festival-like atmosphere. 

Part of the celebration will be used to reflect on our commitment to be a dedicated community partner in Wake County. This year, CASL is launching a community relations arm of our operations that will continue beyond this one year celebration. Part of our mission is to be a community partner in improving the quality of life in Wake County. We achieve this on and off the field, and we want to highlight those occasions this year and for many years to come. Some recent highlights include the successful Play 4Kay 4v4 which generated $14,000 for cancer research, 271 lbs of gently used gear that was sent to Haiti to support Helping Haiti and Soccer, U16G Shockers who spent an afternoon volunteering at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and CASL Staff members who volunteered at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle last week. CASL continues to provide community outreach soccer programming to youth in our community who may not otherwise have the opportunity. We will continue to document and highlight the ways that members of our clubs positively impact our community. If you ever have a need for volunteers or would like to lead a volunteer effort, please let us know. 

Youth in Haiti wearing gently used donated CASL gear

CASL Staff packed 205 bags for Inter-Faith Food Shuttle's Back Buddies Program

CASL HEART participants were recognized as Cam's Champs
at the Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. The HEART season begins this weekend and provides youth with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to play soccer at
no cost to their families.

WRAL Soccer Park Beautification Underway

Don't be alarmed when you drive into WRAL Soccer Park for training or games any time soon and see trees down. This is on purpose, actually. CASL is beginning the first phase of a beautification project to the soccer park. You will slowly start to see changes made to the park (some have already happened you just may not have seen them!). 

The CASL Park Rangers, who continue to ensure the park remains a safe place for our players, families, and visitors, have been raising the floor in the woods that surround the park, cleaning out debris, and cutting back growth. Each day, the the dumpsters out there are continually filled with debris. Fencing has also been removed around various fields, and you'll continue to see changes made over time.

The trees that will be coming down will be replaced by even more beautiful trees that will help make the park more aesthetically pleasing to all those who come to WRAL Soccer Park. The next paper your write in school or the next note you write to your neighbor, just think,you could be writing on paper that comes from these tress that were taken down at WRAL Soccer Park! 

Here are a few pictures of the tree removal. We'll keep you updated on progress of the beautification project.

CASL HEART is Cam's Champs

I've been long overdue on a blog post, but that just means there are so many exciting things going on at CASL, even in the "off-season" for many of you. Just like the traditional soccer calendar, CASL's Community Outreach Program is also on winter break. The season will start back up March 1, but that doesn't mean the players and families will take a break from hanging out with each other.

CASL HEART players and their families were invited to a Carolina Hurricanes game recently to be Cam's Champs. This is a particularly close initiative to my heart as I used to work at the Carolina Hurricanes and coordinate these player charity suites. Cam Ward (#30), goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes, is an extremely generous guy who has been an advocate and supporter for athletes with special needs. His charity suite at the Hurricanes is dedicated to giving these athletes the experience they deserve and to bring awareness to all the programs who serve these athletes. The charity suite consists of tickets to a 12-seat luxury suite at the PNC arena (including parking passes and some food!). The athletes who are invited to the free suite night at the 'Canes game received a gift bag, got to meet the Carolina Hurricanes Storm Squad (pictured) and they are featured on the video board during the game. As you can see from these pictures, the group that went the other night had a GREAT time, were decked out in their CASL gear, and had prepared signs in advance to cheer on their new favorite player - Cam Ward! We've got a few other dates lined up where other HEART athletes will get the opportunity to attend a Hurricanes game, so we'll be sure to keep you in the loop with those experiences. Special thanks to the generosity of Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes for providing this opportunity to CASL HEART athletes.

CASL HEART is one aspect of CASL's Community Outreach Program. The focus of HEART is to provide a safe, positive environment for youth with intellectual disabilities to play the game of soccer at no cost to their families. To learn more about CASL's Community Outreach program, click here, or download the spring 2014 HEART flyer here. 

CASL Makes Assist Overseas

One of CASL's New Year's resolutions is to share the different ways that CASL is a presence within our community. Fortunately, we have resources in our players, teams, coaches and club that even allow CASL to have an impact at the international level. Many of our teams compete in international competition and many international teams often make their way to the CASL visitRaleigh.com National Soccer Series. We are fortunate to have an international spotlight, and we continue to build this foundation through community assists at the international level.

Recently, Arunava (Ron) Sanyal, who is part of CASL's FIFA Fair Play Diversity Committee and  is instrumental in bringing CASL's Friendship Cup to life each summer, spent time  in Pandua, West Bengal helping host a futbol carnival/celebration for youth.

Ron with participants in the carnival/festival

Ron Sanyal (left)

CASL also recently donated 291 lbs of gently used soccer equipment to Helping Haiti and Soccer (HANDS). This equipment was collected through the donation bins located at WRAL Soccer Center. HANDS supplies orphanages, impoverished children, and abandoned youth of Haiti the opportunity to experience the game of soccer. CASL donated equipment, including soccer balls, clothes, old jerseys/shorts, socks, and cleats will be donated to orphanages, soccer teams and clubs in Haiti. Thanks to all of you who donated your gently used soccer gear. We will continue to update you on where your donations go throughout this  year!

Community Outreach Manager, Martin Rodriguez-Arispe,
helped execute the donation to HANDS