Why we decided to start a semi-pro soccer team in the middle of nowhere
When I was very young, I always dreamed of playing professional soccer. I worked hard, and I realized that my athletic ability and knowledge of the game did give me the opportunity to compete at a high level. At age 14, I joined a travel club from Northern Virginia that eventually went on to win four state championships and landed me on D.C. United’s U-17 summer league team. I was fortunate enough to compete in Spain against some of the world’s best talent, including the U-17s of Real Madrid, Feeynord, and Boca Juniors. We got crushed in that tournament, but the “bug” of professional soccer always stuck with me.
After playing with the MLS pro-team’s U-17’s, I was offered many full-ride soccer scholarships to Universities across the United States. Through much discernment and struggle at the time, I decided to put my professional soccer dreams on hold in the pursuit of a more balanced, virtuous life. This pursuit of virtue lead me to abandon all full ride soccer scholarships and enroll at Franciscan University of Steubenville where I enjoyed some of the most joy-filled years of my life. Franciscan is where I met my wife, so I guess you can say #winning. I played soccer for the University, which was an honor and a privilege, but playing in a Division III, low-level environment was something that hardly tested the abilities that I had trained for all my life. I knew it meant that I would be putting any potential soccer career on hold…until now.
Dekalb County United — How did this come about?
As fate would have it, I recently met a small group of people in my little town of Sycamore, Illinois who had this vision to bring a semi-pro team to our county (Dekalb). Naturally I leapt at the opportunity to help facilitate the process in the hopes of chasing a soccer dream one last time. Sycamore has a little over 17,000 residents, so I was shocked to learn that there were other people in my sleepy little town that had the same kind of passion for the game of soccer that I have had most of my adolescent and adult life. As it turns out, they had been polling the entire county with this idea of bringing a semi-pro soccer team into the area. The results are promising and lead us to believe that there’s actually a market that can bring to life this kind of small, semi-pro soccer club.
How do you envision the club fitting in with Dekalb County?
We decided to call ourselves Dekalb County United because we believe in the idea of uniting people through the game of soccer. DeKalb County United is a club that is committed to serving the community. We want to help grow the game of soccer in the county and provide an opportunity for our young adults to represent us regionally. Additionally, our aim is to provide an authentic soccer experience for those who, like me, can’t get enough of the beautiful game. We are committed to the notion that this club cannot and will not exist without the support of the community. To everyone in Dekalb County, “This is YOUR team.” We intend to sign players from our community, and we recognize that the success of our club can only be made possible by local businesses and the passionate supporters of Dekalb County. Get involved, get excited, donate, and help us bring our community together.
What are your goals for the club?
Ironically, the actual soccer part of this initiative is very straightforward. We plan to create a full squad of semi-professional players made up of primarily local talent that will compete in the west division of the Premier League of America (PLA). Our goal is to finish first in the western division and ultimately win a birth into the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup where we hope to test ourselves against the highest caliber of soccer that the United State of America has to offer. Recently we just watched Christos F.C. compete against D.C. United in this same tournament which brought tons of excitement and exposure for lower-league soccer throughout the country. The question that we as a board of directors for the club as ourselves is, “Why not us?”
How are you going to pay for the club?
When we first considered the idea of starting a professional soccer team, I admittedly became overwhelmed by this seemingly impossible task. Then our board of directors, led by our fearless leaders John Hall and Colby Newquist, started looking into the incredible work that Dennis Crowley, founder of FourSquare, has done for lower-tier soccer in America with his club Stockade F.C. Crowley believes that starting a lower-league semi-pro soccer club should be no less difficult than opening a cupcake bakery in a small downtown storefront. We decided to follow his direction and make our club a non-profit entity. Being a non-profit not only allows us to accept donations from the community, but also keeps us mission driven and humble in our approach to our business goals. Nobody is getting rich off of this endeavor, and we feel that a semi-pro soccer club could really benefit our tight-knit community out here Northern Illinois.
How do I get involved?
If you’re interested in supporting this initiative, you can donate to the club, purchase some Dekalb County United Merchandise from our website, acquire season tickets, or even volunteer your time. We recognize that this entire project of uniting the community through soccer is only possible through the support of our community. If you or someone you know might be interested in supporting the club, feel free to have them reach out to us here.
Closing thoughts
I think that one day we can look back and be proud of bringing fourth-tier professional soccer to a place where people from the small towns of Sycamore, Dekalb, Genoa, Cortland, Malta, Hinckley, Waterman, Kirkland, Kingston, Clare, Esmond, Sandwich, Shabbonah, and Somonauk can experience a sporting event that is community run and supported. Soccer is growing in America, and we like to think that we are creating an environment for the next Clint Dempsey to be developed from a town that nobody’s ever heard of before. We think that the story of Dekalb County United is the fruit of a movement in American sporting culture. We look forward to seeing how this story unfolds.
