Tom Cecola (DOC 2000-2008 )

How long have you been with the club ?

I joined the club in 1999, I was a soccer player for Naperville North HS all through high school and wanted my kids to learn and enjoy the game, so when my older son (Ben) turned 5, I looked for local clubs to enroll him and found the Bolingbrook Soccer Club through the park district and signed him up. Naturally, I was also recruited to coach that team.

Ben played rec till he was 9 years old and in 2002-2003 season we joined the travel program. I was head coach for the U9 boys team. In 2003 my second son was born and in 2008 I coached him in the Rec program for 2 years. In 2010, he joined the travel program and I was also head coach for that U8 team.

Role(s) in the club ?

I was on the board for 11 years and I was recruited in 2000 as Director of Coaching (DOC) for about 8 years, I was Director of Education and Communication for 3 years .

I also helped with the Labor Day tournament in 2008 and 2009

I was the club coordinator that facilitated Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), Greg Meyer (formal club president) and I worked very hard to establish PCA relationship with our club

What was your impression of the club before you joined and you became a board member?

I did not know anything about the club, I just heard about it from the park district and joined the club based on what we heard from the park district. When I joined the Board I got the impression that the Board was very dedicated and hard working to facilitate a good soccer environment for the kids.

What vision do you have for the club?

The reason I started with the club is that soccer was an important part of my youth, I grow up loving the game and I wanted to give my kids the same experience.  As a player, I had great coaches and I wanted to give back to my kids and the kids in the community. My coach in high school,  Leo Ley had a tremendous impact on my soccer life in HS and because of him I kept on playing, coaching and helping out in any way to get the kids exposed to soccer.

What wishes do you want to see come true for the club?

I wanted my kids to learn the game and the value of working as a team.  Focus attitude toward inclusiveness and provide more sports opportunities to the community

Fun stories or memories ?

We started a development program for pre travel, we brought in a trainer to help with the kids, we started the kids as young as 5 and 6 years old. During the fall season it was so cold and rainy for every practice, the kids had to be completely bundled up to the point that we could not tell who is who while the kids were practicing, we had to fasten numbers to their winter coats so we could tell them apart.

It was a valuable experience in my life and I made lots of friends, seeing the kids progress and seeing them now play at high school and college levels is very rewarding.  My kids are now coaching, which is very rewarding for me.