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

CASL to Celebrate 40th Anniversary

CASL to Celebrate Club’s 40^th Anniversary

CASL has been a staple in Wake County since 1974. When many of us return from the holiday break, it will be a special year for CASL. For the duration of 2014, CASL will celebrate its 40^th year of providing the highest quality instructional and competitive youth soccer opportunities to youth in the greater Wake County area, which began in 1974 when six local passionate soccer community members joined forces to create the first local youth soccer club. The recognition of this landmark anniversary is in large part to the thousands of CASL players, families, coaches, and staff who came before us to make this club a national leader and innovator in youth soccer.

Since 1974, CASL has continued to live its mission of providing positive and high-quality soccer opportunities that range from recreational to elite soccer development. Player success is documented in the resounding number of our athletes who go on to be student-athletes at the college level, while others find their way to the highest level of competition on U.S. National Team rosters. Other times, success is defined by the number of CASL participants who continue to play the game of soccer for fun, to be healthy and active, or for the camaraderie of playing a team sport. Over the years, teams have left their mark bringing home State, Regional, and National Titles as well as competing in International competition. The club’s most recent accomplishments came when CASL was named as a Top 10 Youth Club for both boys and girls by  Soccer America in 2012 and named as a top 10 Elite Clubs National League Club in 2013.

The mission of CASL is to provide positive and high-quality instructional and competitive youth soccer opportunities at all levels of play that enhance character, community and the love of the game for a diverse membership of children ages 4-18 and their families across Wake County and to serve as a community partner to improving the quality of life in Wake County. During this 40^th Anniversary celebration, CASL will highlight and share ways that we bring our mission to life, and we ask that you share your stories or pictures with us (#CASL40) of living the CASL mission. Whether you or your team wins a game, shows sportsmanship, wins a tournament, or engages in community service, we want to know about it. If you see coaches teaching life lessons through soccer, or you catch a coach in the midst of an instructional session, we want to know about. There are countless other ways to demonstrate our mission on and off the field, and we challenge you to take this year-long journey with us as we show our community what CASL is all about.

As a club, we will be highlighting various ways that we are living our mission through individual, team, and club soccer accomplishments, through stories of on- and off-field successes, and through community relations efforts that show we are truly a community partner in improving the quality of life in Wake County. We will kick-off our commitment to the community with the CASL Play 4Kay

4v4 charity soccer event on January 11. 100% of proceeds from this single day soccer event will benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. 

We’ll also be encouraging CASL players, teams, parents, and families to join us in some community relations efforts throughout the year including volunteering at InterFaith Food Shuttle and other community organizations, hosting various drives throughout the year (toy, food, school supply), sending heroes overseas a holiday card, or participating in community events among many other opportunities. We’ll also be spotlighting our very own soccer community outreach initiatives and the opportunities that youth in our community are getting through these efforts.

It should be a fun year of reflection, recognition, celebration, and engagement at CASL, and we cannot wait for you to be a part of it. 

Join the Fight

Join the Fight... against women's cancers

As you may well know, many teams from across the community will come together on Saturday, January 11 all for the same reason - to raise awareness about women's cancers and to raise funds to support related research. 100% of CASL's Play 4Kay 4v4 charity soccer event will benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, which provides much needed funding for research and programs related to women's cancers. The Fund has raised more than $8 million since its inception in 2007, and we are going to help support this effort.

Details are starting to come together for the big day in January. We've got 28 teams registered so far across U9-U18 age brackets. Our goal would be to get at least 50 teams signed up by the registration deadline of January 3. We are trying to keep all of our expenses at a minimum to ensure the maximum donation goes back to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. If 50 teams register, we will be close to providing a $10,000 donation to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, which will go a long way to help their mission of ending all women's cancers.

We are looking for sponsors to help offset any expenses, so if you know of any corporate organizations that would like to be part of this fundraiser, please have them contact me. We have sponsorship options available at $250, $1000, and $2000 levels. We are also in the process of securing silent auction items, as we'll be holding a silent auction on site to generate as many funds as we can to support the Fund. We've already got an auction coming from the Carolina Hurricanes, and we'll continue to release more sneak peaks into items as we get them in.

The 4v4 is open to any soccer groups in the community (other clubs, high schools, middle schools, friends, community organizations, etc.) so please help us spread the word about this cause driven soccer event. We've got WakeFC joined in on the fun,  so be sure to invite anyone you know!

Here's a shout out to all the teams we have registered so far. Help us fill up these age groups and more! It only takes 8 players, $180 (a little more than $20/player), and a parent/coach. That's easy, right??

U9 girls: Bulldogs

U9 boys: cyclones; explosion, WakeFC AC Milan

U10 boys: Shockers; U10 Knights

U10 girls: CASL Thunder; Seal Team 6

U11 Girls: Black Magic, Dragonflies, Premier Black North

U12 Girls: CASL Premier Red Ladies; Elite 4 Kay; squid ninja's (one of my favorite team names!); Sub Zero; Team Madison; Hot Shots reUnited; 

U12 Boys: EXCEL, Raptors

U13 girls: Net Raiders+; The Rockets; Wolfpack Girls (who signed up first!)

U13 boys: NC Elite; Team JUSA

U16 girls: Nitro, RAVE, Shannons Cannons (another personal favorite name!)

U18 boys: Ragin' Ravens

Champions

On Sunday, Florida State University and the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) will go head to head in the NCAA Women's College Cup Championship. If you were at the games last night, you were in for a treat. The FSU vs. Virginia Tech game was back and forth ending in a 3-2 final score in favor of FSU. The UCLA vs. Virginia game came down to the wire. After UVA jumped ahead to a 1-0, the Bruins fought back and scored a tying goal toward the end of the second half. In golden goal overtime, UCLA managed to hit the post twice. The result came down to a PKs, where the Bruins goalkeeper made two saves to give the Bruins the win. It was truly a showcase of the best soccer in the nation. You can catch the Finals at 3pm at WakeMed Soccer Park or on ESPNU.

Speaking of championships, CASL '96 Premier Ladies brought home a big one at the end of this fall season. They are the 2013 Kepner President's Cup Champions for the U17 girls age group in North Carolina. In the first round of play, they had to face inner-club rivals CASL United Ladies. The 1-0 win in favor of the '96 Premier Ladies showed how close this game really was. The following weekend (November 9-10), the team shutout TUSA Silver 4-0 and lost to TCYSA W-S Lady Twins White 3-0. Despite that loss, they earned enough points to advance to the semi-finals where they defeated the NTSC Spirits 2-0. The Kepner President's Cup Finals was set and CASL would face the same team they lost to earlier in group play: TCYSA W-S Lady Twinse White. They clearly learned from the loss earlier in the month and fought their way to a 1-0 victory to bring home the title.

'96 CASL Premier Ladies

The CASL Premier Ladies will be representing CASL at the USYS Region III (South) President's Cup in Decatur, Alabama next summer. Congratulations to the '96 CASL Premier Ladies in their achievements.