While we all adjust to new working and life arrangements and come to grips with a summer without Asheville City Soccer Club we are kicking off a new online series to explore how the world’s game took root here in Western North Carolina.

In the first of this new series, ACSC President Ryan Kelley sits down with Madhu Schmid, from the Asheville Buncombe Adult Soccer Association (ABASA) and administrator of the Asheville Pick-up Soccer Facebook Page, for a virtual chat about the history of Asheville’s pick-up soccer scene.

“I did NOT grow up with soccer, didn’t even know what it was until my kids started playing,” an enthusiastic Madhu explains as we start our conversation.

While Madhu didn’t grow up loving the world’s game she quickly caught the bug and started the Facebook Page, now with over 2,500 members, that regularly organises up to 30 players playing at Memorial 7 days a week. 

What is the history/background of the group? 

“Pick up soccer has been around in some form or another for decades, with small semi private pickups around town” Madhu tells me. “But it wasn’t until I connected with others around town, through an introductory soccer training program at the indoor center, when I realised there was a massive appetite for more pickup.”

The introductory program Madhu refers to was developed for moms, whose kids played youth soccer, to learn more about the game and how to play. The program ran for 8 weeks at the indoor center and each Sunday session consisted of training and drills conducted by former Asheville Splash players and local coaches. Each session ended with an hour scrimmage where the women could test their new skills. 

“It was love at first sight! I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing.”

“We called ourselves Wild Women,” Madhu laughs. “It was clear we were all hooked and wanted more soccer – 2 hours a week just wasn’t enough!” Through this program Madhu was introduced to another small pickup game that included Molly McMillan, Asheville City SC’s very own Stacey Enos and Meghann Burke, and a “gaggle of other awesome women and cool dudes” who all loved the game and enjoyed hanging with each other. 

While Madhu’s Sunday’s were set with the morning pickup and Wild Women sessions, it still wasn’t enough. “After a while Molly and I talked about starting a weekday lunch pickup. We decided to try Memorial on Tuesdays at 12:30. For months it was a very small sided game, 5v5 if we were lucky. Word spread and more and more people started showing up.” Soon the group added Thursday’s to the schedule and developed an email distribution list to keep all the players up to date.

“I continued to manage the email list which grew larger each week and I also started a text chain. It was overwhelming at times,” Madhu explains. “But it was an advertisement in Mountain Xpress in 2010 from one of our regulars that kicked things into high gear,” she continued. The following week over 75 players showed up for one of the weekday games. 

“We slowly kept adding more days to the schedule until we had pickup 7 days a week. Luckily, this was the time when Facebook was taking off and we quickly set up a page and the rest they say is history.”

Ten years later and the Facebook Group has over 2,500 members, hosts pick up games every day at Memorial with an average of about 30 players.

What role does the group play within the development of the game locally?  

Madhu explains how the Pick-up Group is not only a great way for people to find pick up games but also an important networking tool, especially for people who are new to Asheville and the area. “We are just a big family and are open to anyone and everyone,” she says. “Everyone is treated the same and real friendships are formed, some new to our group have even found jobs and places to live through our Group.”

The games also help everyone develop into stronger soccer players as there is a diverse level of skilled players. “Playing with people who are much more skilled than you, always makes you want to work harder, pick up your pace and improve your skills,” Madhu explains. 

You can even get scouted to play for local ABASA teams as it’s not uncommon to see or hear active recruiting during a game with local players and captains from teams scouting for new talent. The Facebook Page is frequently used as a notice board from teams looking for players and vice versa. 

What are your favorite moments with the group over the years?

“One of my favorite moments was a few years back after a major snowstorm. We’re talking several inches! A bunch of us went out to Memorial with shovels and cleared a patch so we could play, snowmen goalkeepers and all. We had such a blast and showed how dedicated our group is to get together for a kick.”

While we can’t create new ACSC memories this summer it has been fantastic to talk to so many of our local soccer legends and to hear how soccer plays such an important role in all of our lives. I think Madhu sums it up best: “The spirit of this game and all that are involved in our Asheville soccer community brings so much joy into my life.” 

Asheville City Soccer Club strives to bring that same level of community and can’t wait to join you and our friends from Asheville Pick-up at Memorial in 2021.

Belong. Believe. Be Blue.