2022 Year in Review
By Dave Wasiolek
Dear NSST Board and partners:
Fortunately for all of us 2022 got off to a far better start than 2021 as for the most part the heart of middle Tennessee returned to its normal beat. As everyday life regained its vitality, your Trust was there to help jump start the engine.
The year began as the weather warmed and Kickin’ It 615 started their plans for a new season providing opportunities for children to play soccer without regard to cost. To assist in their noble cause the Trust once again stepped up to be a major sponsor of their selfless efforts.
At this time the Trust also teamed up with the Everton and Liverpool supporter groups to cover the cost of custom scarves with the Reds, Blues, and NSST logos. These scarves were sold with all the proceeds going to support children’s soccer programs.
But it wasn’t just the young ones who were prepping for their seasons. Nashville’s entry into the Women Premier Soccer League, The Nashville Rhythm, also kicked off their 2022 competition. The Rhythm have been one of the top teams in the Southeast Conference of the WPSL for several years and this year was no exception. They rumbled through the regular season en route to a 7 – 1 – 2 record and a conference championship. They continued their on-field success in the playoffs making it all the way to the national semi-finals before finally bowing out in a hard fought contest. The Trust walked hand in hand with the team for the entire journey by starting the season as a major sponsor while also providing pyrotechnics and raucous support at their home matches. Then once the playoffs began the Trust continued to back our girls in red by donating to help defray the player’s travel costs to the national semifinal match in Stillwater, OK.
As the calendar flipped to the dog days of summer both the Roadies and the Assembly ran separate Pride Month charity drives seeking donations per goal scored by NSC. The Trust joined their effort by making their largest donation pledge per goal to each drive. All the contributions went to the supporter group’s designated charities (The Roadies – The Oasis House; The Assembly – Nashville Launchpad).
But while these exciting developments were occurring in the community the financial markets were taking a turn for the worse. While the Trust weathered the storm reasonably well, this turbulence caused the Executive Committee to realize that we needed to bring more structure to our fiduciary controls. As a result we developed a more formalized and detailed investment policy to guide our future financial management.
As summer wound down and fall peaked over the curtains the Trust was back out on the links for the Kickin’ It 615 annual Foot Golf Tournament. The Trust’s sponsored team did us proud as they came in tied for first but unfortunately lost in a kickoff. That said the tournament was a grand success. Everyone had a blast, including the tournament’s guest star Taylor Washington from NSC who showed off his booming drives to help the cause. As a side note, I strongly recommend that anyone who enjoys our beautiful game and likes a little competition should look into forming your own team and join the festivities next year. They will have a great time while helping to raise funds for a very worthy cause.
Then as NSC headed into the final months of its season the team showed its support for the Trust by generously donating autographed soccer balls (some of which are game played – with certificates of authenticity). These balls along with other old and new merchandize will be put up for sale by the Trust in 2023 to help fund our ongoing efforts to grow soccer in Tennessee. Keep your eyes peeled on social media for the announcement of this sale.
Also, as a teaser, there may be some exciting news on the mini-pitch front in 2023 as well.
Finally as the year would down the Music City Heaters reached out to the Trust to participate in their fund raiser to assist the Nashville Civic Design Center. Among their many endeavors, the Design Center is involved in promoting mini-pitches throughout the city. The Trust was proud to help the Heaters in their gracious efforts in support of this worthy cause.
2022 was a year for middle Tennessee to take a deep breath of fresh spring air after the long 20/21 COVID winter. Once again life sprung forth like daffodils through the snow and the soccer community was on the forefront of reaching out to our friends and neighbors to move our middle Tennessee family forward. This write-up highlighted just a few of the many individuals and organizations whose efforts were key to enriching our Tennessee home. In particular, I want to thank those who served on the Executive Committee of the Trust during 2022 for all they did to enhance the life of so many in our community: Angie Haddock, Chris Ferrell, and Obed Compeon. Stephen Robinson moved on from the Executive Committee in 2022 but had served faithfully for the last 5 years since the formation of the Trust in 2017, and was a crucial figure in developing the Trust into what it is today.
Lastly I want to thank each and every one of our members for all you did in 2022 to give our Nashville home a better and brighter morning.
Best wishes,
Dave