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Our History |
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The Aurora Arsenal Soccer Club, a non-profit
organization, was founded in 1975. Its purpose then was to provide
recreation in the Town of Aurora for post high school men, 18 to 25 years of
age, as well to be a spectator sport for any age group. The Founding Board
consisted of Nipp Brown, Tim Buchanan, Norm Dusel, Don Hagen, Grant Hamilton,
Bob Hatch, Ab Henshaw, Mike Hill, Jim McCready, Cal Potwin and Don Wagner. Also
instrumental were Lee Austin and Ed Vidler as well as many other community
minded individuals.
In the early days, the Town of Aurora Recreation Department
supplied operation costs and entry fees, while sponsors supplied shirts with
team names and numbers. Players provided their own socks, shorts and any
special equipment. The original sponsor list includes many names still familiar
to East Aurorans today, including Kelsey Jewelers, S-G Press, East Aurora
Advertiser, Vidlers 5 & 10, Reed's Liquor Store, Holmes & Sons AMC Dealer,
Thomas Drug and Tops. A few have since departed, including Hill's
Stationery, East Aurora Hardware, Max Kadet Mens Clothing, Millard J.
Fischer Appliances, and Friendly Clem's Super Duper.
The name 'Arsenal' was selected from among a number of
suggestions, looking for a name that would pinpoint a uniquely East Aurora
theme or place. Contenders included: Main Street Marauders (if sponsors were
located on Main St.), Aurora Old Boys (signifying that the players were out
of high school), Aurora Pacers (from our trotting era), Aurora Townies or
Towners, Aurora Wagstins, Aurora Soccos and Auroran 20's. Arsenal was
selected for its English sounding name and the tie-in to the fortress
looking entrance of the Town Hall building on South Grove St.
The original Arsenal logo was designed for the club by famed local artist
Rix Jennings, who was also one of its original sponsors.
Since those early days, the scope and size of the Arsenal program has
expanded considerably, while maintaining the central tenet of providing
recreational opportunities through youth soccer leagues in East Aurora. It
remains a totally volunteer organization, dedicated to providing a safe,
healthy environment in which children can learn teamwork and sportsmanship,
while playing the world's most popular sport.
In 2003 we serviced approximately 1,000 children and young adults,
ranging in age from 5 through 19, making us one of the largest clubs in
Western New York.
Almost 700 of our children play on over 50 House League teams,
which focus on basic soccer skills in a non-competitive environment. Our
youngest House players (5-8) play in a small sided program tailored to
emphasize maximum ball touches. The emphasis in House is on learning basic
individual skills along with the introduction of the fundamental rules and
positions. Every player is guaranteed to play at least 50% of every game. Most
importantly, the players have fun while developing a love of the sport.
Our Travel program has grown to a record 18 teams, competing at
every age level in the Buffalo and Western New York Junior Soccer League
(B&WNYJSL). These teams emphasize and develop more advanced individual skills
and strategic play while staying true to the Club's ideals of teamwork and
sportsmanship. Players must try out to earn a spot on a Travel team as well as
demonstrate a higher level of commitment once they are accepted. That
commitment has been rewarded often, with many teams appearing in local and
regional championship games.
The Arsenal Board of 10 members, along with
other dedicated non-board volunteers work diligently each spring and throughout
the year to handle the numerous tasks associated with running a program
this large. This includes registration, ordering equipment and uniforms,
lining the fields, conducting tryouts, organizing teams and scheduling
games, just to name a few.
The explosive growth of soccer in East Aurora may not have been
anticipated by the Arsenal 'founding fathers', but they laid a solid foundation
on which the program has been able to build successfully for almost thirty
years. With the same community support and dedication, we expect and hope
that the next thirty years will be just as successful as the last.
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