Written by Horst Richardson and Dick Burns.
Soccer in Colorado Springs most likely had its origin in 1945 during World War II when German prisoners of war at Camp Carson had organized a soccer league for their recreation. In 1950 a foreign student from Jordan formed a club team at Colorado College. After a dozen years of fledgling seasons, the sport was granted varsity status in 1962. The Air Force Academy, once it was established in Colorado Springs, offered a varsity program as well. The CC Tigers were invited to their first NCAA tournament in 1966. May 12th.
1968, marked a major milestone in the evolution of local soccer as an open soccer clinic for children, organized by Bill Boddington, Dieter Hantschel, and Horst Richardson, attracted 200 youngsters to CC’s Washburn Field. Shortly thereafter, SOCSY, (Soccer for Colorado Springs Youth) was formed. SOCSY experienced phenomenal growth, so much so that City Parks and Recreation struggled to find enough playing fields and volunteer coaches. 10 years after that initial children’s clinic, there were 200 youth teams, both boys and girls, competing in town.
Adult men could compete on teams and in tiered leagues under the auspices of the Colorado Springs Soccer Club (CSSC), established in the fall of 1968. This organization, under the leadership of Bill Kuhlenberg, Johann Sverdrup, Dick Burns and Ralph Hibbard, grew rapidly as well, soon including a league for women. Fields at the AFA and at Ft. Carson augmented those available through the city. With growth came the need to educate coaches and referees. Horst Richardson, the CC soccer coach, conducted many clinics and licensing courses, and Dick Burns, Dirk Baay, Ernie Bull, Dick Hall and Herb Marx were the leaders in referee development.
In the late 60s and early 70s, the formative years of soccer in town, exhibition games between the CSSC All-Stars and teams from Germany and Austria helped popularize the game and drew respectable crowds. The United States Soccer Federation, with National Coach Dettmar Cramer in charge, held its second national licensing course at Colorado College in 1970, exposing many Colorado coaches to the most recent soccer coaching methods. Missing in the growth of soccer was the incorporation of the sport at the high school level.
Jay Engeln, a CC graduate and ex-soccer team captain, initiated a club team at Mitchell High School as a teacher there in 1974. The Mitchell club team competed in the local Men’s League along with several other high school club teams. In 1979, School District 11 approved soccer as a varsity sport for boys. Cheyenne Mountain and Air Academy school districts had already accepted soccer and once School District 11, the largest school district in El Paso County, came on board, the Metro League was formed and included Harrison HS. Within three years, varsity soccer for girls was added as a spring sport.
In the late 70s, a club for women was formed at CC which, once it had gained varsity status, grew into a national power house in the 80s. The Colorado College soccer camps for local boys and girls, directed by Horst and Helen Richardson, became a summer institution.
In 1976 the Olympic Training Center came to town. On occasions, national soccer teams would stay there for high altitude training. The United States Soccer Federation moved its headquarters from New York City to the Springs at the end of the decade and, in cooperation with the city and the OTC, built a soccer stadium, now Sand Creek Stadium (2023 editors note: the field is now called “Martin Ed Ragain Field”), adjacent to what is now the Sky Sox stadium.
Over time, many private soccer clubs formed in town, among them the CHARGERS, the FLAME, the DYNAMITE, the PRIDE, the CORINTHIANS, and the RUSH.
In 1986, when the World Cup was held in Mexico, the England National Team trained at the AFA, and South Korea practiced at CC. Both the AFA varsity and the CC varsity were trounced in “friendly” warm-up games. Additionally, other international programs sponsored by US Soccer, involving teams from Mexico, Bermuda, Canada, and Scotland, trained and competed locally. Colorado Springs hosted a CONCACAF Olympic Qualification Match, USA vs. Haiti, in the late 1980s, played at the newly-built Sky Sox soccer stadium.
Semi-pro soccer attempted to establish itself in our city, beginning with the STAMPEDE in the early 90s, and continuing with the ASCENT and the BLIZZARD in the years to come, but their presence was short-lived. Adult recreational soccer continues with over 30 men’s and women’s teams in CSSC conducted leagues. Competition also occurs in two Latino leagues. Perhaps a fitting conclusion to this brief history is to mention the 2013 NCAA Women’s play-off contest between Colorado College and Duke University. This game drew nearly 2,000 fans to CC’s Stewart Field. Soccer has indeed come a long way in Colorado Springs.
