The Volunteer of the Year award honors those who are excellent role models for their community. Willingness to promote players and soccer, sound moral and ethical character and increasing the opportunities to participate in soccer are all characteristics of nominees for the Volunteer of the Year award. The national Volunteer of the Year is announced at the US Youth Soccer Awards Gala, as a part of the US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop.

2007 | 2008

Region I – Russ Horn – Centreville, Va.
As a founding member of Southwestern Youth Association Soccer, Russ Horns has dedicated his time to the game since 1973. He has played every roll possible through his years of volunteering by coaching, refereeing, serving as an administrator, board of director member and president, maintaining fields, scheduling games and practices and implementing new recreational, outreach and travel soccer programs. His love for the game has continued beyond the playing years of his children and his work has touched the lives of many players.

Region II – Dave Harvey – Omaha, Neb.
Dave Harvey is a founding member of the Gretna Soccer Club and has served as president for over 19 years. Through his years in the game, Harvey has mentored many individuals to foster growth and support within his local soccer community. Under his leadership, the club has expanded to offer TOPSoccer, recreational and competitive teams, as well as professional training to players. His high morals and ethics lead him to do the right thing for each child with regards to soccer has always shone through in all of his efforts.

Region III – Sara Kluttz – Ooltewah, Tenn.
Sara Kluttz has been active in soccer since she began playing at the age of five in Chattanooga, Tenn. Her calling to give back to the game came a little over two years ago when she was on her way to a soccer camp and noticed how many kids were without anything to do during the summer. Her answer was to create a soccer camp to involve them. The first year she had 60 participants and the second summer, she reached over 250 kids while expanding the camp to accommodate as many kids as possible, regardless of transportation and equipment needs. Each year, Kluttz recruits more volunteers and reaches more kids and she plans to continue the camp as she continues to play soccer at Austin Peay University.

 

Region IV – Neil Callahan – Seattle, Wash.
Neil Callahan dedicated more than 10 years of his life to developing and enhancing programs for the Seattle Youth Soccer Association. He was passionate about recreational players having the same opportunities as select teams. Through much perseverance, his vision of creating a spring league for recreational players came to fruition. Callahan's service to soccer has included positions as past president of Queen Anne Soccer Club, vice president of recreational development, commissioner and president of Seattle Youth Soccer Association; however, those titles do not define all of his efforts. He organized training activities and clinics, learned to referee so he could help when needed and recruited and mentored many other volunteers to see that children were guaranteed an excellent experience in youth sports. Callahan passed away in December of 2008.

[Top of Page]

2007 US Youth Soccer Volunteer of the Year
John Duvall, Kentucky Youth Soccer Association

  

Brief bios of the regional winners are below based on the submitted application forms:

 

Robbie L. Rickert, from Manchester, CT, has served as the president of the Manchester Soccer Club since 1999. She also serves as the risk management chairperson, is the tournament director of the Nutmeg Tournament, is a team manager for an Under-10 team, coaches an Under-17 recreational team and became a certified referee to better learn the rules of the game. Rickert helps to promote soccer for all children, both recreational and competitive. She is an excellent role model and continues to be a good ambassador for the sport.

 

John Duvall, of Paris, KY, has served many roles for the Paris Youth Soccer Association over the past eight years. John has coached recreational and competitive teams, worked as a registrar and scheduler, and he currently coaches an Under-14 competitive team. John is also frequently available to referee making sure all games are adequately covered. On top of these responsibilities, he also supervises and maintains the fields and also prepares the materials for off-season storage. Duvall donates his time and effort to ensure that young soccer players in his community have an organization and a facility to pursue their soccer dreams.

 

Patti Wilson, from Saucier, MS, volunteers for the D'Iberville Youth Soccer Organization. She started the first year of the club's US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer). Because her own seven-year-old triplets are part of the program, the level playing field is very important to her family. She has traveled hundreds of miles to talk to schools and organizations about TOPSoccer. She also volunteered to contact businesses for sponsorships and she is the TOPSoccer photographer. She is dedicated to the program and its players.

 

Region IV – Sandy Castillo, Placentia, CA
Sandy Castillo, from Placentia, CA, started the first US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer program in the California Youth Soccer Association - South at the Junior United Soccer Association about 16 years ago. The program has since grown from 5 to over 90 players. Castillo is the Director of TOPSoccer for her club and the TOPSoccer Chairperson for California Youth Soccer-South. Since she took on that responsibility, at least two new TOPSoccer programs have started every year. Castillo also establishes sponsorships to assist in player uniforms and special equipment for their unique needs.

[Top of Page]