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| By Lisa Ormond |
| Special to Soccer California |
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| Every California soccer community probably has
one of these,- that one person who started the soccer ball rolling in
their area. In Santa Rosa, that person is 84-year-old, Joe
Belluzo. Belluzo calls himself a "soccer nut" but people
who know Belluzo call this soccer enthusiast and pioneer the "father
of soccer." Belluzo"s story may sound similar to other
soccer pioneers across this state and even in this country. Still,
it's important to remember these soccer stories and pass them onto others
because local soccer continues to be the foundation for this growing
sport. |
| For more than 50 years, Belluzo's passion and
love for soccer has created playing opportunities for adults and youth in
his community. Belluzo has received many honors for his years of
devotion to soccer and for his lifelong community contributions. Some of
his honors include his 1980 CYSA Hall of Fame induction and his Santa
Rosa Citizen of the Year Award in 1975. Bus his most cherished
accomplishment is a very simple one that just makes him feel good inside. |
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| "I get so much joy from just seeing
soccer being played where I live," Belluzo smiled.
"Every time I go down the street and see a little kid kicking a
soccer ball, that makes me feel wonderful." |
| For Belluzo, life has always revolved around
his favorite sport and passion: soccer. |
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How
The Love Started |
| Belluzo's love for the game of soccer began in
the streets of Verano, Italy, where he lived until age 20. |
| "As a kid growing up in Verano, you
played soccer, It was organized by ourselves: you tossed a coin in
the air, chose teams and played." Belluzo recalled.
"Soccer is a religion over there (in Italy). It's fun." |
| Belluzo's "fun" was usurped by
reality when he was drafted into the Italian army during World War
II. He was captured in Northern Africa by the United States during
the war and was sent to a POW camp in Arizona. After the war ended,
he took a machinist job in San Francisco and that's where he met his wife,
Doris. They've been married almost 57 years. In San Francisco,
Belluzo spent every Sunday watching live soccer games played in the San
Francisco Men's Soccer League. Soccer on Sundays was a tradition and
a part of his Italian culture. |
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Got
Soccer? |
| Belluzo eventually moved to Santa
Rosa in 1956 and quickly realized he couldn't find any soccer to
watch, That bothered him. |
| "There was nothing here
(Santa Rosa). I was used to Europe where every Sunday you'd see a
soccer game. But here you couldn't find any soccer, so I had to
create something," he said. |
| And that's exactly what Belluzo
did. |
| "A bunch of us foreigners started
kicking the ball around at Monroe school every Tuesday. They (other
soccer players) heard the news and they came and played too. Word
spread and eventually a team was formed," Belluzo reminisced. |
| These "drop in" players, the
Santa Rosa Kickers, were the area's first men's adult soccer team.
Belluzo started the team in 1957 and was coach. The Kickers played
against seven other teams in the San Francisco Men's Soccer League.
The team stayed together for about four years until the players "got
old and got families and didn't want to travel anymore," Belluzo
said. Dispute it's break up, Belluzo's Kickers helped set the field
for more organized soccer in Santa Rosa. |
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Sharing
The Passion |
| As the years passed,
Belluzo lived his adult life in Santa Rosa, becoming a father of three
children and working full time as a machinist. Soccer remained in
his heart and mind just like a "religion." He worshipped
it, followed it, and shared it with others. |
| "His love is
soccer and always has been - no other sports." Doris said.
"Just soccer, soccer, soccer - he has a one-track mind. |
| Eventually the time
came when Belluzo wanted to share his passion for soccer with his son
Rick. In 1965, he looked for a youth soccer league for his son to
play in and found none. Again, Belluzo chose to be a creator instead
of a sideline spectator. |
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A
Step Forward |
| That year, Belluzo and
an "Englishman" formed two organized soccer teams, a U-12 and a
U-10 boys team. The two men sighed up 33 boys and, on Sundays, they
informally played other boys teams in neighboring cities. One of
Belluzo"s favorite soccer memories involved a playing field. |
| "After we formed
these two boy's teams, I remember we went to the Santa Rosa Park and Recreation
Department and asked for a practice field. They gave us a field with
an old tree right in the middle. I looked at that field and thought,
"This is a soccer field?!" Belluzo laughed. |
| Four years later,
organized youth soccer in Santa Rosa took another step forward in its
development. In 1969, Belluzo and a small group of parents formed
the Santa Rosa Youth Soccer League (SRYSL). According to Belluzo,
about 200 boys and 18 girls sighed up to play soccer that year. The
cost to join was just $3. By 1972, the SRYSL numbers exploded and
about 1,500 boys and girls joined and played soccer that year.
Soccer's increased popularity in his community and in the United States
hasn't surprised Belluzo. |
| "It's a fun
game, It's a GREAT game. It's attractive to kids." |
| A lifetime SRYSL board
member, Belluzo still attends the monthly meetings. Current SRYSL
President Cindy Toran drives him to those meetings. |
| "He's definitely
considered the father of soccer in this area" she said. "Joe
was the one who organized both adult and youth soccer in Santa Rosa.
It was hard in the beginning. Of course, other people have helped
along the way but all of 'this' is because of his efforts," she said. |
| "This"
refers to the almost 500 teams and 6,000 boys and girls between the age of
4 and 18 playing soccer in the Santa Rosa area today. District 5
alone, which includes the city of Santa Rosa, has an estimated 221,000
children playing soccer. It's clear Belluzo started a soccer
movement in his hometown that continues to gain momentum. Andres
Ziemer, a Santa Rosa United soccer coach and co-owner of Ziemer Brothers
Soccer, was coached by Belluzo when he was a child. "Joe
Belluzo is without a doubt, one of the most influential persons in Sonoma
County soccer," Ziemer said. "He's volunteered hundreds of
thousands of hours for the game. He has a passion for the game
second to none, even at his age." |
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The
Shoe Bank |
| At 84, Belluzo remains
active. Although he no longer forms soccer teams or starts up
leagues, he does kick out ceremonial balls at games and cuts ribbons at
ground breakings of local fields. He's become somewhat of a soccer
dignitary in the Santa Rosa Area. |
| Belluzo spends most of
his energy operating his renowned shoe bank he started 25 years ago.
Hundreds of children visit his garage every year to trade in outgrown
cleats for a larger pair. Belluzo started the shoe bank with one bag
of cleats and now has an entire wall full of outdoor and indoor soccer
shoes. |
| "It's a job I can
do well and I'm going to do it as long as I can," Belluzo said.
"People that come to my shoe bank as kids are now bringing their
grandkids here. I've met a lot of nice people; a lot of people have
come to this garage - all types." |
| "He talks for
hours out there (in the garage)," added Doris. |
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Young
At Heart |
| Soccer has kept
Belluzo young at heart and happy ins spirit. And like most people,
Belluzo has a dream too. |
| "I hope that
someday soccer will be as popular as football is in the United
States It's here to stay (soccer). It makes me feel good to
have been part of that," Belluzo said. |
| Not only has Belluzo
been a part of it, he helped create it. His legacy will live on as
long as adults and children play soccer and nothing could make Belluzo
happier. |
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