National Exchange Bank Foundation Teams with Fondy Soccer in $500k Turf Field Fundraising Challenge

As I sit here typing this, I am looking out the window at the rain, and a forecast that has more rain expected all week. During spring, summer, and fall, while the forecast of rain is a welcome sight for farmers, for our soccer coaches, schedulers, and field crew, it causes great anxiety, knowing it may cause us to reschedule, or even cancel games and programs for our youth players due to wet fields and standing water. 

One hot topic all over town the past few years has been artificial turf. Marian University installed a turf field in 2019, SMSA installed turf in 2021, and the Fond du Lac High School has just approved a new turf field for their student programs. 

So, why would Fond du Lac need a 4th turf field? That is often the first question we get asked. Unlike the other three facilities that have, or are installing an artificial turf field, the Fond du Lac Soccer Association and our programs serve the entire Fond du Lac region and beyond regardless of their school choice. We are not tied directly to any one school district, or receive any funding from them or the city of Fond du Lac. The FDLSA is a 501c3 organization managed 100% by volunteers and relies solely on our programs and the generosity of our community members to help us continue to enhance the Soccer Complex for our young athletes. 

The cost of a new artificial turf field is $1,000,000. (A shocking number to many).  Behind the scenes the past few years we have been doing several upgrades at the Fond du Lac Soccer Complex as part of our Safe Places to Play Campaign. New field signs, updated landscaping, expanded concessions, new security lighting at the pavilion, new field lighting, new roof on both the garage and concession buildings, maintenance to the walking track, a new ticket booth, scoreboard, and sound system, and many, many repairs to our fields and equipment. All that has led up to our ultimate goal to install a turf field so our players can have a safe, consistent surface to play on, regardless of what mother nature throws our way. 

That is why I am excited to let you know about the $500K challenge from the National Exchange Bank Foundation. They will match dollar-for-dollar all donations up to $500,000 to get us to our $1M mark to install an artificial turf field at the Fond du Lac Soccer Complex!

To make our dream a reality this summer, we need your help. 

Please help us spread the word around the community. From personal and provide donations to company and foundation donations we would welcome the opportunity to provide more information about the Fond du Lac Soccer program and our complex to anyone willing to meet with us. With this generous match program, every donation, no matter the amount can make a difference. 

The Fond du Lac Soccer Association is a 501c3 Nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible. 

>> Click Here to Make a Personal Donation

Donations can also be mailed to: 

Fond du Lac Soccer Association
PO Box 1292
Fond du Lac, WI 54936-1292

Please let me know if your family, company, foundation, or organization would be interested in meeting with either myself or a member of our board to learn more about the turf project and this campaign. You can contact me directly at 920.539.6059 or at president@fondysoccer.com 

We TRULY APPRECIATE your support to bring an artificial soccer turf for our youth players and I want to leave you with a few statistics about the Fond du Lac Soccer program. 

• 1500+ Youth Players ages 3-18
• 200+ Adult Players
• 53 Acre Complex with up 30+ Fields for all Ages
• Over 2,000 soccer games held annually at the FDL Soccer Complex
• 50-60 Referees employed each year. In the Rec program 95% of those are ages 13-18. 
• 500+ is the number of volunteers annually who help run our programs, and keep our complex looking great. 
• $700,000+ - Annual Economic Impact Fondy Soccer has on the Fond du Lac Community. 
• $5k-$10k: Amount of Financial Assistance provided on an annual basis so no child is left behind and unable to play soccer due to financial constraints. 
• Countless: The smiles and memories of our kids playing soccer (okay, that is a bit cheesy, but that is how fundraising works). :) 

Thank you for your support of Fond du Lac Soccer

Chad R Collett
President
Fond du Lac Soccer Association
president@fondysoccer.com
920.539-6059