Strikers soccer kicks off 'One Community, One Club' campaign

GENEVA – Strikers Fox Valley announced in a news release that its “One Community, One Club” campaign to enhance its image as a pre-eminent sports training organization in the Western Suburbs of Chicago.

The campaign kicks off the nonprofit’s 32nd year of club soccer for youth. It is designed to bring Strikers’ message of “better players make better people” to a broader audience throughout the suburbs, the release stated.

Strikers Fox Valley was established in the 1980s out of a need to bring high-level training and the experience of traveling soccer to suburban communities.

Four friends founded the club who wanted all children in the Fox Valley region to be able to play if they wanted to. One of the four, Pat Feulner, still heads the organization, the release stated.

“We’ve worked hard on behalf of area youth and have developed a program that kids and parents respect and enjoy,” Feulner stated in the release. “We’re in our fourth decade now, and we’ve grown steadily to the point where we’re the clear leader in club soccer in the region. And we feel like we’re just getting started.”

Strikers Fox Valley operates a 50,000-square-foot indoor training center at 1000 Kirk Road in Geneva. Its 20 coaches also use outdoor fields in the TriCities area.

“One Community, One Club” is about our efforts to offer the best program we can to these kids,” Kevin Ward, Strikers Director of Coaching and Player Development, stated in the release. “We’re looking to transform soccer for these communities. Growing stronger bonds, where the culture runs thick. Imagine the possibilities if there were a unified approach to youth soccer training across the Fox Valley, and beyond.”

Creating the best model for training young athletes results in winning teams.

“We use soccer to teach so much,” Ward stated in the release. “We help to develop better people by building character, fostering leadership and resilience, and practicing patience. But there’s a lot more going on, too – Strikers is a community where friendships can flourish and experiences off the field are valued.”

Experiences include participating in food drives or collecting sneakers and shoes for distribution in third-world countries. This year, Strikers donated dozens of meals to first responders during the onset of COVID19.

Effort both on and off the field builds community and camaraderie, according to the release.

“It’s a winning formula,” Feulner stated in the release. “We’re constantly innovating.”

More information about programs and tryouts is available by calling 630-262-0071 or by visiting www.StrikersFoxValley.com.