Palatine's Exchange Program...

GETTING A SPECIAL KICK OUT OF SOCCER

by Fred Hall

Fred Hall is Director of Parks and Recreation for the Palatine Park District and a past president of IPRA. Well known and respected in both professional and social organizations, Fred is also an avid enthusiast of a wide variety of leisure pursuits.

"Lovely." "Have a go." "Good show." Last spring, these British expressions were as common on Palatine's soccer fields as American shouts of "super," "shoot," and "nice try." The occasion was a two-week visit by 104 members of the Wadham Boys Football Club (WBFC) of London, England. That's right, what we call soccer is football in the rest of the world.

The Wadham group arrived at O'Hare Airport in May nearly two years after the birth of the idea of a trans-Atlantic exchange occurred in London. The idea was the brainchild of Jim Key, a professional youth worker who is WBFC president, and Les Cordes, a London native who is now on the Board of Directors of the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club, a volunteer association affiliated with the Palatine Park District. As a boy, Cordes played on a team coached by Key.

In 1976, the two met again by chance in a London restaurant and became reacquainted following a separation of 11 years. Cordes told Key of the park district-sponsored Celtic Soccer program. The program already included a long-standing annual exchange with a club in Hamilton, Ontario. It wasn't long before the two were dreaming about the value of a London-Palatine exchange and then planning its fruition.

Formed by natives of England and Scotland in 1969, Palatine's soccer program began slowly. Founder Jim Kinsella remembers the difficulty in finding enough boys to put a match together. Named after the famous Glasgow Celtic, the program now registers more than 1,300 boys and girls each year. The Celtic Club receives park district support with respect to logistical measures—such as financial recordkeeping, field lining and newsletter reproduction—and is accountable to the Park Board through a recreation professional staff member who sits on the Celtic Board of Directors. The program's real work is performed under the direction of this 35-member Board, including efforts required in registration, coaching, purchasing (through the park district), erection of goals, officiating and other matters. The lion's share of the credit for the successes of the program have gone to the Celtic Club rather than the park district—and well it should.

The organization of the Wadham Boys Football Club might best be related to an American fraternal club. It has its own clubhouse—including a full service bar—and sees as its primary goals the promotion of youth football, sportsmanship, and fellowship. Dances, dinners, and the like—along with the bar—provide the funds necessary to support the club.

The credit for the tremendous experiences enjoyed by the British and Americans also goes to organization-minded soccer enthusiasts from both countries. Committees in London and in Palatine worked cooperatively and with great coordination. While Wadham was busy raising funds and making travel arrangements, the Celtics were planning for Wadham's two weeks in America.

Every boy in Palatine's program between the ages of 10 and 16 played at least a part of a game against their British counterparts. A total of 24 games were played by the four Wadham teams. All of the visitors went by bus to Sears Tower, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, twice to Wrigley Field (to see the Sting and the Cubs), and to Great America. The latter trip made good use of I.P.R.A.'s discount ticket program.

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Other activities included shopping trips to Long Grove and to Woodfield Mall by car pool, a fantastic dance with midnight buffet held in honor of Wadham, and a picnic in a county forest preserve attended by an estimated 500 ball-dribbling, frisbee throwing, bat swinging, beer and pop drinking people enjoying each other's company. Among the unanticipated side benefits of the visit were the development of stronger friendships nurtured by Palatine residents as a result of the planned activity for Wadham.

Sixty-eight Palatine families served as hosts for the 104 British men, women and children. Arranging for host families and providing a degree of orientation proved to be one of the most important tasks in the Celtic's planning for the visit. The spirit of the Celtic shone brightly, however, and more hosts than needed had volunteered long before the arrival of the Boeing 747 at O'Hare.

Host families were responsible for housing, feeding and providing local transportation for their guests. Additional responsibilities were optional, such as making available opportunities to sample the northwest suburban nightlife. This author's waistline attests to his acceptance of this responsibility.

Good fellowship notwithstanding, the football pitch (soccer field) was the site of hard-nosed competitiveness and a quickly developed healthy rivalry. The emphasis of the sport in England, which led to better skill development and team play, left no doubt as to the British dominance of the series of matches in Palatine. During the two-week period, Wadham won 21 and lost 3.

We're hopeful that we will be more competitive when we visit Wadham in 1981 or 1982. We know we'll be welcomed with open arms. Then it will be our turn to "sound funny." A short and a beer means a mixed drink with a beer on the side. A fag is a cigarette. Their jelly is our jello. But a handshake is a handshake when meeting and we're sure the lumps in their throats were as large as ours when we said "farewell" on June 6. The anticipation of seeing our new friends again is already building. "Cheers."

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ABE'S AMBLE SET FOR AUGUST 17

After a successful 1979 race day, Abe's Amble is returning for its third year. The race is scheduled for Sunday, August 17, at 6:30 a.m. It begins on the State Fair Grounds and the course winds through Springfield. The distance is 10,000 meters or 6.2 miles.

Promotion of parks and recreation, IPRA, health and fitness are the main purposes of Abe's Amble. Attention is brought to recreation and parks opportunities on a statewide basis. Recreation professionals can bring that attention to their home communities.

Abe's entry forms should be displayed and distributed throughout each community, and handed out to local running clubs or runners. High school and college coaches can be asked to pass them along to their runners. Local members of IPRA and IAPD should be encouraged to enter. In 1979, a number of members ran the race.

To help interest runners in Abe's Amble, the organizing committee suggests emphasizing the benefits of the race. Free fair parking; fair admission for runners; showers; overnight lodging; T-shirts; post race refreshments; and a participation ribbon are included in the entry fee.

For those who would like more direct involvement in the race, help will be needed with registration and at the finish line of the race. Contact Arnie Biondo, Wheaton Park District, (312) 665-7171, or Chuck Szoke, Channahon Park District (815) 467-5361 for more information or entry forms.

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