The year was 1976. Jimmy Carter was elected President, two guys named Steve formed a company called Apple, Apollo Creed outlasted Rocky Balboa, and youth soccer in Livermore was at a crossroads.
Four soccer clubs competed for players from the town’s population of 42,000. With the soccer talent pool spread thinly across the four clubs, Livermore teams struggled against teams from other communities where the soccer scene was more unified.
Moreover, the California Youth Soccer Association, which regulated youth soccer leagues, grumbled about having to oversee four clubs in one small town.
Club leaders huddled and made a strategic decision to merge the four clubs into one, forming The Livermore Youth Soccer League, later to become Fusion Soccer Club. This union launched a soccer powerhouse which, 40 years later, is going stronger than ever.
To celebrate turning 40, Fusion Soccer Club is hosting an event Saturday, September 10 at Robertson Park. Headlining the event is soccer superstar Abby Wambach, six- time winner of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and 2015 World Cup Champion, and member of the 2015 TIME 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
Wambach will conduct a soccer clinic for Fusion players who raised money for “Every Goal Counts,” a fundraising campaign that Fusion and Wambach launched in early 2016. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; Fusion’s college scholarship and financial aid funds; and Fusion TOP Soccer, a soccer program for Livermore children with disabilities. Following the clinic, Ms. Wambach will dine with the top 10 Fusion fundraisers at Patxi’s Pizza, a Club sponsor.
Community members are invited to attend the event, which runs from 9 am to 12:30 pm and concludes with the presentation of a proclamation from Mayor Marchand honoring the Club for 40 years of service.
“Since joining the Livermore community five years ago, it was immediately evident that sport means a lot to this city,” notes Ben Graham, Fusion’s Director of Coaching. “When Abby announced she would partner with us on our 40th anniversary event, I was extremely excited for the players and people of Livermore. Abby’s involvement is a huge honor and a testament to how far the Club has come.”
Robertson Park is an especially apt venue for the celebration, as Fusion Soccer was instrumental in creating one of the Park’s most prized resources. In 2012, Fusion teamed with the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District to convert Robertson Park’s two soccer fields from grass to artificial turf. Fusion contributed $600,000 in funding for this project, and the fields now serve rugby, football, and lacrosse as well as soccer.
Fusion has grown from a few dozen players in the early years to over 2,500 players currently. The Club continues to expand, having grown year over year for the past 6 years.
A key tenet of the Club mission is to make soccer available to everyone, regardless of athletic ability, financial capacity, and physical limitations. Fusion offers three boys and girls divisions — Recreation, Select, and Premier — to accommodate players of all skill levels. And, Fusion provides over $20,000 in financial aid each year to players who cannot afford registration fees. TOP soccer, started in 2014, brings players with disabilities into the Fusion fold, and is offered at no cost.
Fusion emphasizes excellence in the classroom as well as on the field. The Club awards college scholarships to academically outstanding high school senior players each year, and offers a College Mentor Program to assist players with the college search process and soccer recruitment. Fusion also awards sew-on patches to younger players with high grade point averages.
Fusion has developed a tightly knit community of supporters such as David Fairbanks who are passionate about both soccer and Livermore. Fairbanks’ three children grew up playing Fusion soccer and he delighted in being a soccer Dad and coach. Three years ago he joined the Fusion Board of Directors.
Fairbanks appreciates the life lessons that Fusion Soccer imparted to his children. “Thanks to Fusion my kids have developed a great appreciation for discipline, commitment, loyalty to team and respect for coaching,” Fairbanks notes. “Fusion is all about positivity, support, and inclusion. Players learn how to celebrate success, and deal with defeat.”
Fairbanks sees an extremely bright future for Fusion. “The Board of Directors is strongly committed to continuous improvement. We will up our game any way that we can. We want to create a legacy where Fusion players come back and want to be part of the organization, and give back to the community, when they are adults.”
For more information about Fusion soccer visit http://www.fusionsc.org
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