End of Season Report

VCSD Dublin Soccer League Association

Dublin, California

January 15, 1968

Gentlemen:

We wish to submit this report in behalf of the Dublin Soccer League Association to give you a closer understanding and inform you of what has been accomplished this first year of the soccer program, to help in establishing as agreement with the V.C.S.D. as a sponsoring agent of the Soccer League.

The Dublin Soccer League was promoted by Mr. Ed Hardy, the Math and P.E. teacher at Fallon School. In September - 1967, Mr. Hardy distributed a Flyer to the Dublin area school boys to be taken home to their parents, requesting volunteers to coach or assist in the soccer program. The meeting was to be held at the Fallon School at 7:30pm.

The response was favorable enough to start the ball rolling; eighteen volunteers, four volunteering to work on the Board of Commissioners. The fourteen volunteer coaches started their recruiting the following Monday. By the first Saturday the response of the boys had tripled and seven more fathers had volunteered to be assistant coaches.

By October, 180 boys had signed up to play soccer with twenty-three coaches to coach them. There were to be eighteen to twenty-two boys (maximum) on each team which gave the league ten teams for the season.

On October 11, Mr. Hardy scheduled a meeting for the commissioners to meet and make up a game schedule and discuss fund raising.

The first games was scheduled for October 21, 1967 and one on each of the following eight Saturdays; game time from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm, each lasting one hour and fifteen minutes.

A turkey drawing was suggested for the league's first fund raising event, the money to be applied toward the cost of the uniforms for the boys. On October 28, the League was honored by the Maid of Dublin to draw the winning ticket - the winner a parent of one of the team members. The drawing was a "Four-Hundred Dollar Success"!

The uniforms were then purchased, each team's jersey having its own chosen name and colors. The total cost of the uniforms was $1300. Two dollars was collected from each member to pay for the socks and shorts which they could keep at the end of the season.

The second fund raising program was selling ads to be published in the Village Pioneer paper from merchants in the area. From this we realized $250, reducing the bill to $300.

The V.C.S.D. agreed to buy the 39 soccer balls needed for the leagues' use during the league season. The balls are to be turned back to the V.C.S.D. at the end of each league season to be stored for the next season.

The league-cup playoffs started on January 6, a perpetual-cup trophy to be awarded to the winner. It was suggested that the trophy be kept at the school of the winning team.

A spaghetti dinner banquet for the boys is scheduled for February 17 at Dublin school for presenting the awards and also a fund-raising event. We anticipate this to be as successful as the previous events. The program will have live music and entertainment, door prizes, awards and free candy for all the kids, all for the nominal fee of one-dollar per person.

At the end of league play, the league still had 180 boys with requests from more wanting to join. Several fathers have shown more interest and want to coach next year.

No injuries have been reported from the boys other than a kick in the shin - then right back in to play again.

At the beginning of the league play, there were approximately thirty spectators during a day's games, by mid-season it had reached about seventy-five and still climbing despite the cold weather.

The Village Pioneer paper has given us full coverage of the games with reports from the commissioners and pictures furnished by Walter Lindquist.

The Merchants Association is interested in helping the league as well as other manufacturers and businesses that have been contacted as of this date.

This league has been formed to offer interested boys of the Dublin area an opportunity to participate in organized soccer. It is the intention of the league to promote physical fitness, to develop individual and team skills, and to build character.

If you have comments, additions or corrections, please send us an email.

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