In 1974, soccer was largely just a rumor in these parts. For most people, their only exposure to soccer was seeing the highlight of Pele’s World Cup scissors kick on the opening to “ABC’s Wide World of Sports.”
How times have changed. Today, presidential candidates court the “soccer mom” vote. But when Peter Richardson relocated to Hanover Park from England in 1974 because of a job transfer, many northwest suburban high schools didn’t even have soccer teams.
“I had three boys who were growing up in England playing soccer, and they were at a loss when we moved to the States,” Richardson said. “Then I saw an (advertisement) in the local paper about a meeting to start a soccer program. There wasn’t a lot of interest at the start, but we kept pressing.”
In 1974, Richardson helped found the Northern Illinois Soccer League with teams from four towns: Hanover Park, Addison, Hoffman Estates and Itasca.
“He brought a unique perspective to our town when he came from England in 1974,” said Larry Wheeler, Hanover Park Park District director. “He brought a true sportsman’s passion. And without his leadership, our program never would have been possible. He’s the Pied Piper of soccer.”
Twenty-four years later, Richardson’s influence on soccer is far-reaching and has become his full-time job. His Palatine-based Soccer Enterprises Inc. owns the Chicago Stingers, who play at Forest View Stadium, nicknamed “The Hive,” in Arlington Heights. The Stingers play in the United Systems of International Soccer Leagues D-3 Pro League; the minor league has 39 teams, including the Rockford Raptors.
He still operates the Northern Illinois Soccer League, which has grown to more than 600 youth soccer teams in 86 communities. He owns Soccer City in Palatine, an indoor soccer facility. He operates the Sockers F.C., a Palatine-based youth soccer club for boys ages 9 through 20, with girls teams planned for this fall. He runs the Chicago Professional Soccer Academy and Chicago Stingers Day Camps, held at Lake Forest Academy. And don’t forget Eurosports, a Palatine store he owns that carries — you guessed it — soccer equipment and apparel.
“When you read about highly successful people, you realize they’re centered. Peter is centered on soccer,” said Hank Steinbrecher, general secretary of the Chicago-based U.S. Soccer Federation, the governing body for all soccer in the United States. “His love and passion for the game have influenced so many young people. He’s been fundamental for the sport of soccer in Illinois. And when he started the Stingers four years ago, I bought the season tickets one, two, three and four.”
On a recent humid Friday night, sitting in the bleachers at “The Hive” while his Stingers played the Raptors, the 56-year-old Richardson was asked if he has any other interests.
“Well, there’s my wife of 34 years, Christine, and our three sons and our four grandchildren,” he said. “And I have a home in Delavan, Wis., where we get away and relax. But otherwise, for me it’s soccer. When I was an engineer, soccer was my hobby. Now I spend all my time on my hobby. And I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Like most lads growing up in postwar England, Richardson was exposed to soccer at a young age. “I had a passion for soccer very early, and it’s remained all my life,” he said, searching his memory bank while following the fast-moving action on the field. “By the time I was 5 or 6, I’d be skipping music lessons to play soccer with a local team behind our house. My parents knew I was soccer crazy.”
After high school, Richardson played on semipro soccer teams, but he was doing more than playing defense and goalkeeper. He was also involved with the business side of the teams, attracting team sponsors, running fundraisers at discotheques, things like that. “That early training on the business of soccer has helped me years later with the Stingers,” he said with a slight smile.
Richardson’s father, Cyril, was a tool designer. Richardson followed in his dad’s footsteps when he got a degree in engineering. He worked for several companies in Europe, including Austin Motor Co., and in 1974 he was transferred to the United States. Along with raising a family in a foreign country, Richardson also took on the challenge of helping raise a new sport from infancy.
“I knew what a great game soccer is, and I wanted to create opportunities for kids to play,” he said. “And some of those boys grew up and now play for the Stingers, which is very gratifying. My three boys gave me inspiration to help get soccer going in this area, but there were so many others too.”
From humble beginnings, today there are about 150,000 soccer players in Illinois. And many of them have been or will be helped by one of Richardson’s programs.
“Peter contributes so much to the game of soccer,” said Gus Bender, president of the Arlington Heights-based Illinois Youth Soccer Association. “He’s always thinking ahead, promoting the game. He’s got a showman’s quality, and that’s a very good side of him. Growing up in England, he realizes that soccer is the people’s game, and that every kid should have an opportunity to play. He’s an important force in our sport.”
When comparing youth soccer in the United States and England, Richardson said the U.S. youth soccer scene is stronger. “It’s much better organized and structured for the kids, which is great,” he said. “The problem is, we develop the younger kids, then it stops and they run out of opportunities when they become young men. This is a very critical stage for soccer in this country. It’s easy to say we’ll win the World Cup. But we have to get the pieces in place to actually do it.”
That’s why Richardson formed the Stingers in 1995, to provide an outlet for minor league soccer players to continue their careers and help them reach the Major League Soccer ranks, which includes the nation’s top teams, including the Chicago Fire. The Stingers are one of five minor league affiliate teams for the Fire, and the two teams played to a 1-1 draw earlier this season in an exhibition match at “The Hive.”
“The time was right to form the Stingers in 1995,” Richardson said. “There was a lot of excitement from the World Cup, which was held in the United States in 1994. So we formed the team and named it the Stingers. It was a way to continue the tradition built by the Chicago Sting (the city’s professional team from the 1970s and ’80s).”
Last year, the Stingers finished with a 21-9 record, and more than 30,000 fans attended 17 games at “The Hive.” The economics of operating a team are tough, and Richardson came close in 1997 to closing up shop. As for the future of the team, which won 9 of its first 10 games this season, Richardson said: “We’ll keep doing everything we can to aid in the development of local soccer players.”
Stingers players, ranging in age from 18 to 31, get minor league salaries, typically about $1,500 a month, similar to their minor league baseball counterparts such as the Kane County Cougars. Team members come from the local ranks: Max Stoka from Hoffman Estates High School, Joe Carver from Deerfield High School, Mike Dunne from Batavia High School, Brad Rupsis from Hinsdale South High School and Jim Harkness from Chicago’s Brother Rice. Other players come from around the country or overseas (Jose Fleita from Argentina and Matt Hamnett from England).
Then there are two players who are really close to home for Richardson: his sons David and Michael, who were both all-state soccer players at Lake Park High School in Roselle.
Michael, 30, played the last five seasons with the National Professional Soccer League’s Milwaukee Wave and has spent much of this year injured. David is still playing at age 31, the love for the game still in his blood. When he’s not playing for the Stingers, David works as director of the 350-player Sockers F.C.
“Players respect what my dad’s done,” he said. “He provides a lot of people an opportunity, a stepping stone, to keep playing. Now I find myself playing with kids I coached when they were 12 years old. It’s been fun.”
This particular night was a good one for the Stingers, as they defeated the Raptors 2-0 behind goaltender Markus Roy, Fenton High School class of 1988. The players, and the team owner, would go home happy.
In what seemed a fitting final question, Richardson was asked: If the 1998 World Cup came down to a final match between the United States and England, who would he root for?
“Oh, the U.S., without hesitation,” he said, without hesitation. “In a small way, I would feel a sense of involvement. That would be something, wouldn’t it?”
UPCOMING ACTION AT `THE HIVE’
The Chicago Stingers play their home games at Forest View Stadium, also known as “The Hive,” at 2121 S. Goebbert Rd., Arlington Heights. Games kick off at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for children 15 and under. Call 847-670-5425 for ticket information.
Here’s the team’s remaining schedule:
– June 26, Detroit Dynamite
– July 10, Cleveland Caps
– July 17, Rockford Raptors
– July 24, Mid-Michigan Bucks
– July 31, Rockford Raptors
– Aug. 7, Indiana Blast
