Interview with Denny Kohlmyer, Club Director
Location: Pittsburgh.
History: Soccer-playing immigrants formed first Beadling team in 1898. In 1937, after the mines closed, the Beadling Sports Club was formed, with a clubhouse and field. MenÆs team won the National Amateur Cup in 1954. Youth program began in the 1960s and expanded in the 1980s, to provide quality coaching to many small township teams.
Name origin: ôBeadlingö is a community named for brothers who owned a coal mine.
Youth championships: 6 USYSA Region I champions since 1984; more than 50 state champions, including 2001 U-18 boys team.
Most famous player: Justin Evans (Dallas Burn).
Number of teams: 7 boys (U-12 through U-18); 8 girls (U-12 through U-19).
Number of players: 350.
Number of coaches: 15 head coaches, 15 assistants.
Coaching salaries: Up to $5,000 per team per year (includes both head coach and assistant).
Cost to play: $850 per year for younger players; $1,000 for older players (includes all expenses except travel).
Facilities: Game field above clubhouse (not owned); ônomadicö for practices.
Club philosophy: ôWe focus on player development by providing quality coaching, competition and atmosphere.ö
Recruiting philosophy: ôMost recruiting is done by players coming to us, especially ages 15 on up.ö
ClubÆs biggest challenges: ôFields. Also, state association regulations that prevent us from having teams under age 12. IÆd like us to have a pool of teams starting around 9.ö
What the clubÆs history means: ôA lot of our coaches have come through our program. They love the game and want to give something back. Teams come into our clubhouse and see trophies dating back 100 years. ThatÆs great, but it can also be negative for young kids. Other teams make their season by beating Beadling. ThatÆs a lot of responsibility on young shoulders.ö
Soccer in Western Pennsylvania: ôPennsylvania West is competitive with a lot of state associations in Region I. But with 55,000 kids playing, we have to do more development to reach the level of Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.ö
Biggest rivals: ôWeÆre part of the Continental Alliance, so itÆs FC Delco, Kirkwood, Bethesda ù all the great teams in the region.ö
Sponsor: adidas.
Fund-raising: Need-based, done by individual teams.
Unusual facts: Some players are fourth-generation Beadling members.
Web site: www.beadling.com.