Feb 25, 2005 – Soccer appears to be the fastest growing sport on St. Croix. The St. Croix American Youth Soccer Organization had 19 youngsters in its program in 1997 when it began. It now has over 420.
The program has had to turn away youngsters because the three soccer fields just west of Hovensa can't handle them all.
To solve the problem, the organization is developing more fields. The organization initiated a Build Up fund-raising campaign about three months ago.
According to Capital Campaign Committee Co-chair Larry Kupfer, president and CEO of Hovensa, the organization has already taken in $425,000 toward its goal of $500,000. He said this was raised by contacting local businesses.
He spoke at a press conference at the Buccaneer on Friday kicking off a weekend of Soccerbration. The weekend includes a visit to the island by some of the biggest names in soccer.
The most famous person at the press conference with Kupfer was Brandi Chastain. She has recently published her first book entitled "It's Not About the Bra."
She soared to celebrity status when she scored the winning goal in the 5-4 penalty kick shootout win over China in the finals of the World Cup in July 1999. Chastain who was also a member of the gold medal Olympic teams in 1996 and 2004.
She told the group at the Buccaneer. "Soccer mimics life more than any other sport. At any given moment, any player can be the decision maker, the leader."
Also at the table with her was Eric Wynalda, a former U.S. Men's national player. He holds the record for most goals scored by a U.S. player in international play and is currently an ESPN broadcaster. He said, "It is more than kicking around a ball. More than any other sport it develops character." He said he and the others would be sharing their passion for the sport with St. Croix youth this weekend.
The group includes Tony DiCicco, the third head coach in the history of the U.S. Women's National Team program. In 1996, he led the U.S. team to the first-ever gold medal in Olympic women's soccer. In 1999 he spearheaded the Women's World Cup champions and holds the record of coach with the most wins in U.S. women's soccer;Tiffany Roberts and Shannon Macmillan, two-time U.S. Women's Olympic Gold Medalists and also World Cup Champions; and Tim Sahaydak, a former U.S. national team member and professional player for the major league soccer teams Columbus Crew and the Miami Fusion.
The players and coach are to mingle with local youths and parents at a Beach Barbecue at Divi Friday evening. On Saturday, there are to be clinics in the morning and a black tie dinner at Government House honoring major campaign contributors in the evening.
On Sunday the soccer players are to get in some golf at the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament to raise funds for soccer at Carambola Golf Course.
David Nissman, who is also a co-chair of Capital Campaign Committee, said another goal of the organization is have 2,500 youth between the ages of 4 and 19 playing soccer.
The group plans to develop three new playing areas. "Nissman said, "It is a good plan. It is not completely formed yet, but it is a good plan."
One site – five acres behind Alfredo Andrew School – has already been cleared. One full field and a half field for smaller youngsters are expected to be completed there before next September and the beginning of the next soccer season. Nissman called this a "win-win situation" because the school would be able to use the field when the soccer organization was not.
In the design phase is a site on the Educational Complex campus. This 2.5-acre site would include one field.
A third site, also in the design phase is 27 acres owned by the Department of Parks and Recreation near Fredensborg.
The proposal is to co-develop this site with the Cricket Association.
Kupfer said, "Cricket is really popular in the West Indies and St. Croix has no program for it."
Also speaking at the press conference were Tracy Bingham, who has been with the organization since its inception, and Cassandra Dunn, who handles the organization's public relations.
Bingham said, "Our organization is 100 percent volunteer."
Roberts and Sahaydak are engaged to be married. When she was told that St. Croix was an excellent place for a wedding, she answered that arrangements were already being made for San Francisco.
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