1. Nicolette Miller
10/01/2015
Cover Story for Wyomissing Neighbors Magazine
Wyomissing Area Soccer Club
For one weekend in May every year, thousands of players and soccer supporters from clubs and
schools across four different states flood the fields between the large rock walls of the Quarry to battle
it out for a championship title. These fields at 2001 Old Wyomissing Road are also home to the
Wyomissing Area Soccer Club which over the past 35 years would yield eventual Division I college soccer
stars, professional players, record-holders and future coaches.
Such a unique and significant venue within our community has attracted a lot of people and
teams from all over for various events, yet, ironically, so many of our own community members walk
past these same fields and through the gates every day, without having any idea how this landmark
came to be.
The Wyomissing Soccer Club was started in 1978 by Dr. John Good, with only a handful of teams
that were primarily boys, at a time when soccer was just beginning to catch on across the US. Thanks to
a World Cup win by our women’s national team in 1991, popularity of the sport grew and the club had a
spike in registration on both the girls and boys side, resulting in a shortage of playing fields. About this
time, Steve Witman, an active member and coach in the club, noticed a small article in a newspaper
discussing the Wyomissing Foundation’s plans to sell the Quarry tract to Wyomissing Borough. His mind
immediately turned to soccer, having played there himself as a kid. It seemed like a longshot, but it was
exactly what was needed to create a first-class facility for the club.
After two years, the deal was finalized with the Borough Board and the fundraising began for
the $500,000 worth of start-up funds necessary. With the help of local businesses and community
members, the numbers were being met and everything was coming together, but it wasn’t an easy
process. Shortly after reaching their financial goal, they realized over 1,500 loads of topsoil were
needed for the fields, adding another $150-200,000 to the project. The news could have easily meant an
end to the project all together, but one Wyomissing Borough Chairman at the time, Paul Edelman,
managed to work out a deal with members of the Route 222 highway extension project, which provided
all the prime topsoil needed, keeping the whole project on track. Today, a bench in Edelman’s honor
now sits in the park system to recognize all his work and support.
Shortly after the three fields on site were open, the next steps were taken to add lights, better
spot drainage, a sprinkler system and snack bar. The one-of-a-kind facility that was once just Witman’s
hopeful vision had finally become a reality.
In 1995, the Quarry Classic Tournament was established to help raise maintenance funds, but
quickly became one of the premiere soccer tournaments in Pennsylvania, and is now one of the
Borough’s largest events with over 5,000 guests per day. Visitors can walk by the pavilion and see the
personalized bricks of all the community members and names of players who have gone on to represent
Wyomissing all over the country at the collegiate level and beyond. All of them have helped the Quarry
become what it is today.
One of these standout players was Wyomissing HS Girls’ Head Soccer Coach, Rachel Hoffman.
As one of the few girls to join the boys when the club first started, she went on to lead Penn State and
the Big Ten Conference in goals and points, and eventually play professionally for the New York Power.

2. “My favorite part about coaching Wyomissing is seeing the development of the players as they progress
through their high school careers, and providing them with the skills and training to be successful in
their collegiate careers,” says Hoffman.
On the boys side is another one of the club’s veterans, Eric Miller, who loved growing up in the
Wyomissing soccer community. After graduating from Wyomissing Area High School as one of the all-
time leading goal scorers and experiencing a successful soccer career at Muhlenberg College, he now
enjoys having the opportunity to give back to the program as Wyomissing HS Boys Head Coach. “I have
played at a lot of different levels, and nothing has come close to rivaling my experience playing with the
club and high school teams. The idea you were able to play with your friends who you had grown up
with while representing your school and where you live sets it apart from anything else.”
The Wyomissing Soccer Club offers teams for ages 5-12, where they are then incorporated into
the Jr. High School program. It provides kids throughout the community the opportunity to have fun
with their friends and learn important team values. Current club president, Mike Kuhn, says “The club
really focuses on the kids having fun. So many sports are really hard to play when you’re little. Soccer is
an exception. As soon as you can stand, you can start to kick a ball.” The mantra of the club encourages
kids to do their best and be an unselfish teammate in order for good things to come both to the
individual and the team. “Everyone who signs up has a chance to play. No child is turned away.”
With such a diverse and experienced groups of coaches, the club has really developed over the
years, leading to Wyomissing soccer success on multiple levels. “Almost all of our coaches played in high
school and many in college, but most importantly, they are all students of the game.” Kuhn said. The
club has continued to grow in popularity with the help of the past and current successes of the girls and
boys programs.
“This all comes back to the club as a whole being well organized, successful and having the right
parents/coaches who know a lot about the game and make it something great to be a part of,” Eric
Miller says. “Nothing is better than seeing the boys excited after a big win or a great play. The fact that
the kids are welcomed in the program with open arms at any age and can still really get into it sets our
sport and program apart from any other.”
So if you ever find yourself walking by the Quarry, or watching one of the many games played on its
fields, you can appreciate the history behind the landmark that has not only started the career of many
successful soccer players, but has provided so many families a place to come together and create new
memories now and for many years to come.