The 2018-19 Annual President State of the Association Report. The Glen-Ed Sports Association continues to achieve the mission of “quality sports at an affordable price”.
GESA congratulates the players and parents on another fantastic year. Many of the teams won silverware but more importantly the players continued their development on and off the field. Thank you to all the parents for the many hours of sacrifice to transport their children to and from games/practice. As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the club could not have exceeded its goals without the incredible volunteer support of the parents and many volunteers. Thank you for the dedication that made 2018-19 the best year ever for the Glen-Ed Sports Association.
HIGHLIGHTS of THE 2018-19 YEAR
- 23rd ANNIVERSARY – Completed our 23rd The club was founded in 1996 by two teams.
- PLUMMER FAMILY PARK PARNTERSHIP WITH CITY OF EDWARDSVILLE – The
club agreed to a 10 year partnership with the City of Edwardsville to make the Plummer Family Park “Home of the Glen-Ed Sports Association”. Glen-Ed has agreed to donate the funds to build a third turf field to increase community accessibility and for our club.
- CONTINUED EGHM DONATIONS IN SUPPORT OF EDUCATION The club will donate
$15,000 for a total of $103,000 over 7 years to the EGHM Foundation. The club significantly exceeded the original commitment of $50,000 in 5 years.
- CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT OF FACILITIES – In Partnership with Tindall Construction,
Voyles Electrical and SIU Edwardsville, the club was able to light all sections of the
Glen-Ed West Grass Facility with extremely energy efficient LED. Special thanks to Scott Garman, Ryan Voyles and Ron Smith-Valenti for their commitment and dedication to complete the construction phase of the project in under 60 days.
- EXPANDED FACILITIES – Expanded facility access and hosted home league games at Edwardsville High School, SIUe Recreational Park and Glen-Ed West Grass Facility.
- LARGEST TOURNAMENT IN METRO EAST AREA – Presented the 10Th Annual Glen-
Ed Spring Kick-Off with 255 teams representing IL, MO, IN, IA and MI. It was the largest youth tournament in the Metro East Area. Presented the 3rd Annual Glen-Ed 3v3 Tournament with 85 teams.
- RECORD OPERATING BUDGET – Due to our member base expanding by 20% to over 550 players in soccer, lacrosse and basketball, the club had a record operating budget to fund player programs (league, tournament, indoor, futsal, training, etc.)
- RECORD TEAM REGISTRATION – 31 Soccer, 7 Lacrosse and 3 Basketball teams.
- CONTINUED TO STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE – Four League Champions and several 2nd place finishes. Multiple teams were Tournament Champions and Finalists.
- ANNUAL COLLEGE SHOWCASE BUS TRIP– Four high school boys teams traveled to the FC Dallas MLS facility to participate in one of the largest college showcase event in the USA where they competed against national and international teams.
- HIGH QUALTIY COACHES – Club’s coaching staff includes national licenses from both
US and Europe. (1-UEFA C, 1-USSF B, 2-USSF C, 14-USSF D License coaches and USSF National Youth License)
- NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TRAINERS
o John Van Buskirk, McKendree University Men’s Head Coach & UEFA C License o Chuck Hentz, USSF National C licenses o Brad Rickert, USSF National C licenses
The club is proud of the many accomplishments. Congratulations to all the players and parents.
As we look forward to next season, the club will continue to pursue opportunities for our players to develop to their fullest potential.
- All Soccer teams will play SLYSA League. The club expects approximately 32 teams for the year 2019-20 in every age group from U7-U19 for both boys and girls.
- The Lacrosse Program will play in SLYLA with over 9 teams.
- Expanding our relationships to host additional soccer games in Edwardsville for all ages.
- GESA will continue to explore opportunities to improve the quality of programs and affiliations with professional organizations. GESA has no plans now or in the future to merge with other clubs.
Our mission has been and always will be:
“to assist players to ‘Pursue the Dream’ by offering quality select sports participation in Soccer, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Basketball and Volleyball at an affordable price. We believe in creating a lifelong passion for sports by creating character in a challenging, fun and safe environment.”
Finally, as we close the current season and look forward to the next, we want to wish all Glen-Ed parents and players a happy and safe summer.
Sincerely,
Mark Rimkus – President