History

One would never guess that the large, well organized, and very successful Prairie Cities Soccer League would have begun as an idea discussed over coffee at the Welcome Inn in Normal.

Jack Fowler, a native of Missouri, had moved to Bloomington after a short stop in Quincy.  Joe Miller moved to the Bloomington area from Quincy, too.  The two casually met over coffee to talk about Quincy and other things - soccer among them.

The feasibility of a youth soccer program in Bloomington/Normal became the point of discussion.  This led to a preliminary meeting with others interested in soccer.

The first organizational meeting of a new youth soccer league was held in the offices of the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.   From that first meeting, Jack and Joe felt that there was enough support to give the idea a try.  There was a series of informal discussions held at the Placement Office at ISU, where Joe was employed.

The names of some of those early people involved have been lost with time and confusion.  However, among those early key people, the names of Dave Jecklin, Joe Bowles, Judy Markowitz, and of course, Jack Fowler and Joe Miller stand out.

From these humble beginnings, the league became a reality in 1978.  The official name, Prairie Cities Soccer League, was the idea of the first elected president, Joe Miller.

youth soccer league when starting with no equipment, no uniforms, no coaches, no fields, and no players.  For obvious reasons, many people doubted that the league would ever succeed.

But as in many endeavors, adults with some expertise and interest began to "creep out of the woodwork."  Unfortunately, in those days the greatest concern was with everyday operations and not with preserving records.   Consequently, many names have been lost, but even then, when a need arose, there was always someone there to handle the problem.

Getting the youth to participate was the easiest part of getting the league started.  Notices in Bloomington and Normal Parks and Recreation brochures, as well as information distributed through school handouts, brought in registration forms from all over the Bloomington/Normal area.  The first real problem was finding coaches for all of the teams.  Without coaches, there would be no league.

Once again, many parents who had no prior knowledge of the game of soccer were willing to help out.  They showed a willingness for on-the-job training, and overnight they became soccer coaches.

Fields and goal posts presented another problem.   "Beg and borrow" was the solution for this problem.  Unit #5 schools in Normal were a tremendous help.  Principals from Oakdale and Parkside permitted the league to use their playgrounds for our soccer fields.  Normal and Bloomington Parks and Recreation Departments also provided several locations, and suddenly our field problem was solved.

At the start of the first season, the league had 257 players.  By the end of the first year, over 300 youngsters were involved with youth soccer in McLean County.

Those founding fathers were happy to welcome the change of pace that the end of the first season brought.  From marking fields and putting up nets every Saturday to coaching and refereeing, the did it all.  Then someone got the bright idea to have a spring season.

The second year was simply outstanding: more equipment, more volunteer help, more everything.  That included players.  With over 500 players now participating, the league was making a major impact on the youth sport scene in Bloomington/Normal.

Tony Bykowski was elected as the league's second president.

In February 1980, the league introduced its first formal large-scale registration procedure.  That effort resulted in an increase to 1,100 players.  Eighty teams were formed, the number of playing fields doubled, and there was a full spring schedule of five matches with six matches in the fall.  That spring, the league also co-sponsored the first indoor soccer tournament at ISU.

For the 1981 season, the league expanded to 1,500 players and over 100 teams.  A separate girls' division was introduced that year, and the players were divided by age levels.  The spring and fall seasons were expanded to a total of 12 matches.

In October 1981, the league co-sponsored its first Soccer Day at Hancock Stadium in conjunction with Coach Fritzen and the ISU soccer team.   Approximately 3,000 parents and players attended, viewing an ISU match, a coaches scrimmage, and an under-12 All-Star match.

Coach Fritzen put on several clinics with a couple of grad students.  These clinics were well attended, emptied our treasury, and produced a group of parents that went on to coach and administer the league for years to come.   It was probably the best "seed" money ever spent.

One of the greatest accomplishments of Tony's term was the work done with the area schools in starting them thinking about adding soccer as a sport.   Even though they delayed their decision on high school soccer, they did agree to a junior high program for the Spring of 1983.  Four schools fielded teams that year.

In the fall of 1981, Don Conant was elected president for a two-year term.  PCSL continued to grow--especially among female players, coaches, and referees.  The league worked hard with the Parks and Recreation Departments to expand their role in our still-volunteer organization.

By 1984, the size of the league began to level off at about 2,000 players.  This made PCSL the largest recreational league run privately in the state.

The much needed McLean Soccer Referee's Association was established during Don's term.  Gene Larson and Otis Rothenberger were instrumental in overcoming the problems to establish this organization.  Their number include many players and parents that originally answered Joe Miller's call in 1978.

In 1982-83, PCSL became computerized.  Considering the size of the organization, this was a big step forward in making the league more efficient and easier to administer.

In the fall of 1981, the first traveling teams were developed.  Two area teams were formed--the Strikers and the Prairie Crusaders.   The Strikers were the Fall '82 CIYSL champs, and the Crusaders were second.   Seventy-five percent of the boys on these teams were among the boys who answered Joe Miller's call in 1978.

Holly Mair was elected president of PCSL in the fall of 1983, and in November of that year, she was elected to the Bloomington School Board.   Holly served both boards until early in 1984 when she resigned her PCSL position.   Holly had been with PCSL almost from the beginning.  She served as an officer for all of Tony's and Don's terms, and has served more times on the PCSL Boards than any other person.

Dave Ananias became president in February of 1984.   During his term of office, the board endeavored to establish the guidelines under which the league would be administered.

In January 1992, PCSL increased to 172 teams and 2,176 players.  Approximately 90 boys and girls play in the traveling league.  The board increased to 25 members to handle field maintenance, referee training, uniform organization and sales, and all the other aspects of this organization.

Thanks to the devotion and dedication of past boards, the league, now well established, runs smoothly.  The main function of the board today is to fine-tune the PCSL into the finest organization possible.

Volunteers have been, and always will be, an important part of PCSL.  The league would not exist without them.  However, many services are now contracted.

The board administers a large budget and has many responsibilities.  These responsibilities and many other league expectations are spelled out in this PCSL Handbook.

The PCSL Handbook is an attempt to put into writing the philosophy and policies of present and past boards.

The arrival of Tim Carter as the ISU Soccer Coach has brought with it a renewed and stronger relationship between PCSL and ISU.  Both institutions prosper because of it.

Coaches certification clinics, player clinics, and even the use of ISU soccer players as practice coaches have helped cement this relationship.

The removal of the Junior High Soccer Program is a setback of soccer in this community.  However, soccer has been added to the high school program.  A renewed effort, we hope, will see the return of junior high soccer.

This brief history tells the story of the humble beginnings and the enjoyable struggle to get to the fine organization that we all enjoy today.   Boys and girls will enjoy the fame of soccer for years to come as soccer continues to grow and prosper in Bloomington/Normal.