WASIOLEK: 2019 Year-in-Review
To my fellow Nashville soccer supporters:
It has been an exciting year. Like Nashville, soccer in Middle Tennessee is growing every day and the Trust, in concert with its members, has been on the forefront of supporting this growth. In addition, we have been able to use soccer as a rallying point to help our Nashville community.
As the year winds down, it is a good time to look back on what you, (through the Trust), accomplished in 2019:
January
The Trust began the year by granting a sizeable donation ($1,800) of soccer related books to the TSSA to help forward theirs and The Trust’s shared mission to grow and promote soccer in the state.
Due to an MLS mandate, The Trust sold its stake in the Nashville Soccer Club, (NSC), back to the team. The sale gave the Trust an endowment, which will be used to help fund The Trust’s efforts to promote soccer and the general community welfare. In addition, a member of the NSC ownership group showed his faith and commitment in the Trust’s mission by agreeing to donate $5,000 per year to the Trust for the next five years.
Later in the month, the Trust joined soccer fans from all over the region to contribute funds to help support The Roadies sponsored charity – Soccer for the Nations (SFTN). This charity provides opportunities for children to play soccer regardless of their financial resources.
February
The Trust introduced the new Nashville MLS CEO, Ian Ayre, to the board and The Trust’s membership when it sponsored a meeting with team management and ownership. The meeting allowed membership to hear firsthand from Ian about the team’s plans and ask a myriad of questions during an extensive give and take session.
March
As the season kicked off so did the Trust’s popular “Fan of the Match” series. These stories profile an NSC fan after home matches to show the interesting diversity of the supporters of NSC.
In addition, The Trust once again stepped up to provide further support to Soccer for the Nations when the Trust provided all of the spikes and shin guards to outfit the teams that SFTN sponsored.
April-May
May marked the beginning of the Nashville Rhythm season (Nashville’s woman’s soccer team). The Trust did an interview with the ownership and management of the team, which it shared broadly across the supporter family. Also, The Trust provided the pyrotechnics for the team (smoke grenades), and with the help of supporters from the Roadies, we cheered the team on to a successful season.
June
The Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE) threw a big “eat-in” as part of the national festivities celebrating World Refugee Day. The Music City Supporters have been a faithful sponsor of this worthy cause and this year they asked The Trust to help provide food for the event. The celebration was a smashing success as all were fed and NSC players posed for pictures and autographs as they played with the kids in blow up fields and goals provided by NSC.
June was also the month to celebrate Gay Pride. For the second year, The Trust joined the NSC recognized supporter groups to sell rainbow-colored bandanas with all the proceeds going to support the Oasis Center. Many thanks to the Roadies for spearheading the activity again this year.
July-October
As we reached the dog days of summer, NSC was running hot and the supporters were in full voice. In a show of devotion to the team the Roadies coordinated a trip open to all the supporters to an away match against Louisville. The Roadies hired a bus while the Trust provided the game tickets.
This time frame also marked the beginning of an exciting new era in the NSC supporter’s world. NSC worked with the supporter groups and The Trust to develop a new organization to focus and grow the Nashville supporter base. This effort would eventually lead to the formation of “The Backline.”
At this time The Trust also completed several key back-office milestones:
The Trust officially received its 501(c)3 recognition from the IRS
Transferred the old NFC IP to The Trust
Secured The Trust’s solicitation license
Trademarked The Trust’s popular shield logo
November-December
In November, the Trust welcomed two new members to its Executive Committee.
Chris Ferrell: Chris is a publisher in Nashville and the former Chairmen of the Board of Directors for the Nashville Football Club
Obed Compean: Obed owns a construction company in Nashville and is owner of the Nashville Rhythm.
Also in November the Trust took over NSC’s coordination of the soccer community’s response to Light the Night (a charity walk to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society). The Trust, in conjunction with the Music City Supporters and The Assembly, were able to raise over $1,200 for this worthy cause and contributed another $250 to the Monroe Carell Children’s Hospital.
Finally, as the year wound down The Trust joined the Nashville Heaters in support of the Joe Beretta Foundation. The Heaters adopted this vital cause that provides support for heart patients and their families and the Trust was happy to lend a hand with a contribution to the organization.
As I mentioned, 2019 was a full and exciting year. NSC’s success on the pitch was matched by the generosity and caring of their fans and The Trust’s membership. I want to personally thank each and every one of our members and our board for their efforts in making Nashville a better place for both soccer and its citizens. Also a special thanks to Chris Redhage and Nashville SC for allowing the Trust to utilize their facilities from time to time throughout the year. Finally, I especially want to thank those on The Trust’s Executive Committee who sacrificed their time to ensure that The Trust is always there to lend a helping hand whenever it is needed (Angie Haddock, Clay Trainum, Stephen Robinson, Michael Davenport, Chris Ferrell, and Obed Compean).
I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Best regards.
Dave
