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DWU soccer teams give back to the community
Matt Higgins • The Daily Republic

This past fall, every time the Dakota Wesleyan University men’s or women’s soccer teams scored a goal, it meant a whole lot more than one point on the scoreboard.

Each Tigers’ goal ultimately benefited the American Cancer Society and the March of Dimes, thanks to a creative approach to charity work by the coaches and the two reputable organizations. The DWU soccer teams collected per-goal pledges throughout the community, adding incredible incentive for the Tigers to find the back of the net.

Though soccer season ended in late October, the collection and distribution of the funds was just recently completed, and the teams were able to split a $4,000 donation down the middle to the two charitable organizations. The final sum was the result of 37 total goals — 28 by the men’s team and nine by the women — but the service project’s impact and importance goes far beyond the simple numbers.

Both coaches agreed that it was an ideal situation for their players to give back. They were able to find a way to make their tangible skills profitable for those in need.

“You can do one little thing that’s a normal thing in your life, and it can make a difference for someone else,” said DWU men’s head coach Kevin Farley. “For them to be able to use their abilities that they’re going to use anyway to show their support for a couple of well-deserving organizations was great for them.”

Tigers’ Athletic Director Chad Vogel praised the projects’ creativity, and said it was great to combine the athletes’ on-the-field effort with a noble pursuit off the field.

“It is really cool,” Vogel said. “I think that’s one thing I can say about our coaches and our athletic staff. The people here are very creative and it is great to see our coaches find ways to integrate our four core values (learning, leadership, faith and service) into their programs.”

The players’ involvement with the fundraiser went beyond the soccer field. Both teams went into the community to collect pledges prior to the season, and they followed up on those pledges after the season to collect funds and ultimately make the charitable donation. Women’s soccer coach Dale Roden said his players embraced every aspect of the project.

“I have to give all the credit to (the players),” Roden said. “They collected the pledges and the money, and they put in a lot of time and effort. They really committed to it and followed through and did what they said they were going to.”

Farley said that his players also carried an active interest in the charity, and demonstrated it prior to each game in their warm-up attire.

“My guys get to choose which T-shirts they go out and warm up in,” Farley said. “Rarely did they warm up in the DWU shirts. They used the March of Dimes or American Cancer Society shirts. They were proud to show they were playing a game to change people’s lives.”

Both coaches said an added bonus was that the fundraiser created a few new DWU soccer fans in the process, and suddenly people were checking their box scores, knowing that the Tigers were playing for more than wins and losses.

“It kind of brought some attention to the results and the effort of the players,” Roden said. “It’s a way to tie in faculty and family into what we’re doing so they have some shared interests. Some people watched closer for results, and gave us some input when they saw good results and bad results.”

The topic even came up when Farley was on KMIT’s coaches’ show with the radio station’s sports director, Tim Smith, and Farley was able to spin that into a pledge and some exposure.

“The question got asked on the radio and I was able to put Tim Smith on the spot to get him to pledge and after that he really started keeping tabs. I saw that across the board. A lot of people came out that have never seen a game of soccer. That meant a lot to us and I think it built a strong tie-in with the community.”

Currently, the teams are in discussions to continue the program next year, and, hopefully, for the foreseeable future. Both coaches said they hope improvements can be made moving forward, and they also said they hope their teams respond with more pledges, and more goals.

“This is going to be a continuing effort,” Roden said. “Ultimately, I want a commitment from the players. It’s important they believe in it and buy into it. I think this is something they really enjoyed. This might be the start of something we continue to build on in the future.”

Regardless of what happens with the goals-for-charity program in the future, it’s clear that the difference the Dakota Wesleyan players are making on the field is having a great impact off of it, both with the organizations it benefits, and with the character of the players committed to making a difference.

”It makes me proud that they understand that they’re not just here to play soccer,” Vogel said. “They’re here for a greater good and they want to be deliberate about their attempts to serve God and humanity.”