Claremont AYSO: A 40-year soccer tradition It was the dream of soccer enthusiasts that began the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) within a garage in the Los Angeles area back in 1964. Just 3 years later, the dream of Howard Krollfeifer Jr. came true in Claremont, when the then treasurer of AYSO sparked a soccer movement within the city that still continues today. On September 7, Claremont AYSO will celebrate 40 years at Claremont High School Stadium, in an anniversary event that will honor the 4-decade-long tradition that is still growing. “I’m really looking forward to it,” said Tom Babineau, current Claremont AYSO regional commissioner. “It’s a great event to celebrate 40 years of soccer, for kids, parents and former participants.” The first season of Claremont AYSO kicked off on October 21, 1967 with 10 teams and 150 boys ages 7 through 13. The 10 participating teams were split between Claremont and Glendora representatives that included: Claremont Bears, Claremont Beavers, Claremont Chipmunks, Claremont Panthers, Claremont Tigers, Glendora Blue Jays, Glendora Cardinals, Glendora Eagles, Glendora Hawks and the Glendora Starlings. When the inaugural season concluded in March 1968, it was the 5 Claremont teams that held the top spots in both Divisions I and II. The Claremont Tigers posted a 14-2-3 record en route to becoming the top Division I squad in Claremont AYSO while the Claremont Chipmunks emerged as the first-place Division II team with a 12-3-3 mark. The Chipmunks went on to play in the AYSO finals in April 1968, held at the Los Angeles Coliseum. “The league started in Claremont after the 1966 World Cup,” AYSO National Executive Director Rick Davis recalled. “I remember my dad got us tickets to The Forum to see it on closed-circuit television. It was awesome.” Mr. Davis is one of many former Claremont AYSO players that plan to be in attendance for the upcoming 40th anniversary. At 7-years-old, he played in Claremont AYSO’s inaugural season as a member of the Claremont Beavers team that finished 11-4-2 for second place in Division II. The experience within Claremont AYSO ignited what would become Mr. Davis’ passion for soccer as the midfielder went on to compete in the North American Soccer League, the Major Indoor Soccer League, as well as multiple United States National and Olympic teams. Mr. Davis was named the first US Soccer Athlete of the Year by the United States Soccer Federation in 1984, selected as the captain of the US national team in 1988, inducted into the AYSO Hall of Fame in 1998, and was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2001. “My experience in AYSO was what developed my passion for the game,” Mr. Davis explained. “It is something that has impacted my entire life. Eventually, it became a life-long ambition to play in the World Cup.” Rick Davis isn’t the only name out of Claremont AYSO to play professionally and nationally. Claremont-born Kylie [Bivens] Hooper is another example of a person who participated in Claremont AYSO before going on to become a standout at Santa Clara University, a key player on the Atlanta Beat professional soccer team and a participant on US Women’s national team. (story continues below)
Claremont AYSO hasn’t just been for soccer enthusiasts. The organization features a large number of participants who do not go on to compete at the professional or national level. Sergeant Dennis Smith of the Claremont Police Department played soccer in Claremont AYSO during his childhood and was also once a regional chief referee but ultimately went into law enforcement. “We have all types of stories of kids who started out with AYSO and went on to become baseball players, gymnasts or something else,” Mr. Babineau said. “There are a lot of success stories of people who grew up in the program and went on to become successful in whatever they chose to do.” While AYSO as a whole has grown over the years, with more than 50,000 teams and 650,000 players, the Claremont Region 3, the offering of AYSO has grown as well. From the 150 boys that were part of the Claremont AYSO’s beginnings have come approximately 1400 boys and girls players within several age categories and a plethora of teams. Among this past year’s highlights was the Area 1B Championship that the Claremont SWAT captured in the Girls Under-10 age group after an undefeated season against its other Claremont opponents. Likewise, a Claremont Boys U-10 squad and a Girls U-14 group also won Area 1B crowns within tournaments that consisted of teams such as Diamond Bar, Chino, Ontario and Chino Hills. What has emerged within the past few years is the rising talent of Claremont AYSO’s select all-star squads that have led to more wins in select team play against some of the area’s best. This year, the Girls Under-10 select team became Area 1B champions. “We’ve had steady growth for the last 10 years,” Mr. Babineau said. “There’s a lot of things that have progressed more than just the number of kids. One of the big highlights within the last 5 years has been the growth on our select program. The level of play has increased significantly. Our spring program has grown a lot and year-round soccer in Claremont has been a real success story.” Claremont Stars owner and Coach Mark Allison spent the latter half of the 1980s involved with Claremont AYSO. His wife Holly is a former regional commissioner of the organization. Mr. Allison believes that with a growing knowledge of the game since the first years of AYSO, the ability to scout talented players and also to find coaches is less difficult today. Combined with the growth of club soccer, the game has become much more familiar in Claremont. “It used to be much harder to find coaches because of the lack of knowledge of the game,” Mr. Allison said. “Also, because of the increase in the knowledge of soccer, you now have people who can look at the players when they’re young and recognize their talent.” No longer playing midfielder on the soccer field, Mr. Davis now enjoys playing a role in bringing the AYSO experience to almost millions of kids today. The national executive director views AYSO as an experience that contains many components that go beyond playing soccer. “We’re exposing kids to sports and we’re doing it in a way where they have fun and learn lifelong skills,” he said. The 40th anniversary of Claremont AYSO will kick off at 6 p.m. on September 7 at CHS. The event is free.
—Landus Rigsby |
 
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August 29, 2007
August 29, 2007