The Carlisle Soccer Club is looking for an experienced girls recreational soccer coach who can motivate and organize other coaches to be their best. We have a vacancy in the position of Director of Coaching for girls.
If you’re interested in taking on this position, please contact Mark True, interim president, at 556-1574.
The new parking lot on the northwest side of the complex is taking shape. Thanks to our good neighbor, Howard Goodhue, we put the posts into the ground on a cold Tuesday afternoon. Howard sent his employees – Steve Gilliland and Kendall Fogle – and an end loader down to make quick work of inserting posts. I guess this is pretty standard for farmers, but I was pretty impressed with how the big bucket pushed the 56 posts into the ground like a toothpick in butter. Most went it four feet, but some hit a barrier and we’ll have to cut them off before putting up the rails. Watch this video to see a couple of posts go into the ground.
2011 Spring Soccer Registration is open as of Friday, November 5.
Please navigate to the Registration page to sign up online.
Fall weather is coming, so that means it’s time to get your Carlisle Soccer Fan Gear. Hats, caps, shirts, warm ups and other great logo gear are available from Iowa-based Van Ginkle’s sporting goods.
Download the Carlisle gear order form, fill it out and turn it in with your check (made out to VanGinkles’ Sporting Goods) to the concession stand by September 26th. You can pick up your order at the concession stand two weeks later!
If you have questions, contact Mark True or Lisa Wilson.
As teams hit the pitch for the fall soccer season on Saturday, August 28, plans for an expanded Carlisle Soccer Complex were unveiled for a crowd of around 75 players, parents and supporters. The plan calls for doubling of the current complex and improvements including underground irrigation, a new concession stand, restrooms and a full-sized, lighted soccer field.
"Since the soccer club was re-generated about seven years ago, we found the money for the things that we needed right away, including a lawn mower, the above-ground sprinkler, the concession stand and, just this past spring, electricity, a new pump and motor," says Mark True, Club president. "We also secured a long-term lease on our property so now we’re able to look down the road and, strategically, seek larger donors and grants to achieve bigger goals."
Master Planning
The Carlisle Soccer Club board of directors went through a two-month-long master planning process under the guidance of Des Moines-based RDG Planning/. The four-phase expansion and enhancement plan calls for the addition of irrigation to current fields and expansion of the complex to 27 acres. A park-like plaza area will feature a natural play area for kids and a wetlands will be created in the flood-prone area of the property.
"It could be a decade or more to reach completion of the vision, depending upon our success in raising funds, but we now know our destination," says True. "We’ve moved around town to different locations, saved our pennies and won several grants to make and maintain a home at our current location, and this is our vision for making it even better."
Four Phases
The expansion will happen in four phases, the first of which will cost around $175,000, and include a new parking lot and entry along the northern edge of the complex, extensive seeding and field preparation, fencing, underground irrigation and preparing existing area of the complex for new fields. Phase 2 includes irrigation of more fields, landscaping and additional field preparation for around $220,000. Phase 3 includespreparation of and installation of irrigation of new fields on an additional 12 acres, security lighting and a gravel parking lot for around $525,000. Phase 4 includes a new expanded concession stand with restrooms, a full-size (120 yds. x 80 yds) pitch, bleachers, lighting and fencing for just under $1 million.
As outlined in the plan, the retail cost to complete the project is $2 million, but Club leaders expect to reduce those costs by using in-kind labor and donated materials, where possible. The board will be seeking larger grants and meeting with corporate donors who have a connection to supporting soccer, and who want to see quality of life in the southeast metro area improve.
At the unveiling, Carlisle Mayor Ruth Randleman (pictured above right, talking to Doug Adamson of RDG Planning) showed her support for the plan and said it fits very well with the city’s master plan, which includes a recreational area surrounding the soccer complex.
"Carlisle’s turn to get into the game"
"With a new long-term lease in place and a well-documented master plan, we’re better positioned to go after larger grants and donations from national organizations, including the United States Soccer Association," says Lisa Wilson, director of fund raising. "Other soccer clubs in Central Iowa have won these grants, and now it’s Carlisle’s turn to get into the game."
"Our community doesn’t have a history of having a lot of money for projects like this, but time and time again, members of our community have stepped up to offer their labor, their good ideas and their support whenever we’ve asked," says True. "Now, there’s a goal that we all can see, very clearly."
Strategic Plan
The Club’s board of directors (pictured below right) also recently completed a strategic planning process to identify strategies and tactics to help the Club continue to expand and offer a higher level of soccer in the community.
"One key point that came out of the master planning process for the complex and the strategic planning is the need for more involvement," says True. "We’ve accomplished a lot over the past seven years, but now we’re taking it to another level to provide a great soccer experience here in Carlisle. We’re going to need more involvement by people who have typically sat on the sidelines….literally and figuratively. When we ask our parents for help, we really need them to say ‘yes.’
And the more who say ‘yes,’ the less work for everybody involved."
The Key is fund raising
With this large of a project, a key need is fundraising. The Club has rejected door-to-door sales, seeking grants, business donations and fund raising events. Now, we have to identify sources of money for health, wellness and children’s causes.If you’d like to work at your own pace, like to do Internet research or have any experience writing grants, please contact LIsa Wilson, director of fundraising (989-0031).
As we accomplish our goals for each phase, we’re going to need others with special skills and equipment, to help us install parts of the irrigation system, prepare the soil for seeding and other grounds keeping activities. If you have a little time to give, and like to be outside, please contact Ryan Woodruff, director of facilities. (208-6328).
If you have a business that can donate money, equipment or services – or you work for an organization with a charitable giving process – we’d love to hear from you. Just contact Lisa.
If you have construction experience, irrigation installation experience, engineering skills or similar talents, or necessary construction equipment, contact Jason Timmins, project coordinator for our expansion and enhancement plan (971-6409).
The Carlisle Soccer Board members are (pictured below, left to right) Manny Garcia, Ryan Woodruff, Dawn Payne, Bridgett Davis, Ken Sadler, Chad Oppedal, Mark True, Steve Overton, Krista Beck, Lisa Wilson and Joe Fortelka (not pictured).
Saturday, August 28th is the day. 12 noon is the time for our opening ceremonies at the Carlisle Soccer Club. We’ll be making a big announcement about the future of soccer in Carlisle and celebrating with hot dogs and chips. Will you be there?
A small group of dedicated folks braved the heat of the day to hep prepare the Carlisle Soccer Complex for the fall season on Saturday, August 21st.
They set marker ropes for the parking lot, lined fields, placed goals, repaired nets and thinned out a lot of dead trees in the tree line (check out the before and after photos above). Local business man Ed Dillman, of Dillman Grading, even stopped by to help smooth out our driveway.
We still need your help. Despite all the wet weather and the lateness of the season, sand burrs have reappeared despite the our application of the recommended chemical treatment earlier this year (does ANYBODY know how to kill these things until our grass gets dominant?). The good news is that our above ground sprinkler is working on a regular schedule again.
If you have a pick up truck and can give us 15 minutes once a week, we’d appreciate your help with our watering program. Just contact Ryan Woodruff, director of facilities (208-6328).
Thank you, volunteers
Ben Dawson
Keaton, Quinn & Walter Walker
Ken & Melissa Sadler
Mark True
Rob Clark
Lisa & Brian Wilson
William & Gaylene Rick
Dave Kallemyn
Joe Fortelka
Jerry
David Gutierrez
Ed Dillman
It may have taken us a few years longer than expected, but the pump house has a roof, thanks to the hard work of Walter Walker(pictured), u10 girls coach, soccer dad and all-around hard worker. Walter donated some tin from an old barn on his acreage and put it on the pump house. Ben Dawson also helped get rid of the old pump hardware and helped with the tin. Next up: sides to provide some protection from the weather.
The new pump and controls have been installed and we’re now getting instruction in how to use it to keep our fields as irrigated as possible. It is ironic that the installation was delayed about two months because it was too wet to get the trucks onto the property. 
The old motor blew a rod last July, and the new motor and controller were paid for, in part, with a grant from the Warren County Philanthropic Partnership.
Stay tuned to find out the date of the pre-season work day. We’ll need to mark new field locations, install nets, deploy the trash receptacles, place the benches near the fields and work on the parking area.
And remember, save the date: Saturday, August 28th. In the early afternoon (exact time to be determine as soon as we receive game schedules), we’ll be having opening ceremonies, free lunch and a big announcement for the Club. You’ll want to be there, trust me!
The u13 Carlisle Crush girls soccer team (left) took two medals at this year’s Iowa Games, one for winning their division and the other for exhibiting excellent sporstmanship.
"I can’t express enough how proud we are of our girls!" said coach Jake Whipple. "They performed brilliantly and, more importantly, received the greatest honor of the Iowa Games: the Sportsmanship Medal!"
This is the second sportsmanship medal in two years for the Crush.
The Crush performed brilliantly throughout the tournament with a near-perfect record of 3-0-1, outscoring their opponents 11-4. In two games, the Crush held their opponent scoreless. But the matches were competitive with Ankeny Team Awesome tying the Crush and Logan Lady Reds proving to be very physical. The Crush played with skill, speed and as a team. All players earned the wins as the offense mixed up the attacks creating dozens of scoring opportunities, and the defense consistently pushed the opponent’s attacks to the outside.
"It was a very exciting tournament as the teams battled in the extreme heat," added Whipple.
Be sure to congratulate the following players for their outstanding performance and sportsmanship: Sierra Andreas, Victoria Carra, Jenna Castle, Jade Gibson, Kaleigh Haus, Lindsey Kamerick, Lexi Lambson, Jessica Payne, Katy Rick, Maddie Roberts, Mariah Sadler, Madison Staecker and Taylor Whipple.
The Crush was sponsored by Goodhue-Nolte Insurance of Carlisle and followed to Ames for the competition by dozens of fans (see photo below).
The Iowa Games is an Olympic style event with over 15,000 athletes competing in 54 different sports. Soccer is by far the largest with over 4,000 athletes and 278 teams competing.
