My game started “unofficially” when I put together a small group of international students (who were working for IWU physical plant for the summer) & we played weekly outdoors in my yard…usually 3v3. As that game grew…with more IWU students and the introduction of some ISU students…we moved the game to the Heyworth Park and played full field. That was probably in the late-80s or early-90s. We probably played for 2-3 years, but gradually students graduated and the game eventually disappeared.
One day (I’m not sure of the date), I was approached by Jim, Munib (& Rebecca, believe it or not!), Carl & Joe. Some of them had been playing volleyball & decided to give soccer a try instead. We organized a pickup game on the IWU football field (or sometimes the horrid practice football field across the creek) and we played once a week with varying participants…who came & went. We moved the game a lot. I remember playing at Oakdale Elementary School in Normal, Underwood Park, IWU soccer field, a small park out by the ISU golf course (we shared it with the ISU club rugby team), IWU quad, and probably a few other places before settling into the retention basin behind Richard’s. We even entered our team in the IWU intramural program…that might have been the first time we played indoors…and it was a very bad experience (picture playing against football players/frat boys)!! At first, the indoor game was more of a compromise…it was too cold to play outside. Eventually it began a life of it’s own & became what it is today.
If I tried real hard I might come up with the names of a few of our past players, but Jim or Munib would probably remember them more than me. Since I have “retired” from the game, I’ve lost contact with who might be playing now…both outdoor & indoor.
Let me know if I can be more help. I do have a couple photos from a game we played at the retention basin. I think Carl was back in town for a visit & we organized it around a cookout. If I can find them in my heap of unorganized photos, I’ll scan them & send them your way.Art Killian