Carmel FC is Looking for a Few Good Players

Writer  /  Janelle Morrison
Photographer  /  Lori Koppold

In a recent conversation with Jack Beery and Paul Tefler with the Carmel Dad’s Club (CDC), I learned more about the athletic programs that the club offers children and the expansion of their Carmel FC program that currently serves 400 children of all ages and performance levels.

The club, due to IHSAA rules, is opening up the program to youth players from outside the immediate community in the U14-U18 teams. The current rule states that a team may only consist of six kids from one high school on a travel team, so players from the Zionsville area are welcome to participate in Carmel FC’s program and be a part of one of the area’s top traveling teams.

Established in 1959, the CDC today provides 13 different sports programs to approximately 12,000 boys and girls and is supported by 4,300 volunteers and a full-time staff of 10.

“The one thing that the founding fathers and those that have followed them have done well is that they have met the needs of the community by providing additional sports along the way,” Beery said.

“Soccer is our biggest sport in the club with over 5,000 kids playing right now. The ages range from pre-K to seniors in high school.  2487

The popularity of soccer has just grown immensely, and with the addition of Indy Eleven League coming to the community this year, that has provided another energy burst with our registrations.”
By virtue of having the assistant coach of the Indy Eleven Soccer League, Paul Tefler, as a participating coach for the Carmel FC, the league has hosted camps at the CDC.

Tefler, originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, and now a Carmel resident, is now a dedicated member of the CDC. His teenage son is active in the club, and Tefler predicts that his 3-year-old daughter will eventually be as well.

Tefler brings years of experience to the field. Tefler was a professional footballer in the Premier League and Scottish Premier League and played just under 150 times for Luton Town where he played with Jeurgen Sommer, the head coach of the Indy Eleven League. Sommer is responsible for bringing Tefler over to the U.S. and into Indiana to build up the professional league that has created a fan phenomenon and appreciation of soccer throughout the state of Indiana.

“Sommer introduced me to Beery, and we talked with me about how there was a big desire from the local soccer community to keep developing the Carmel FC program. We seemed to be on the same page from the beginning, so I became involved. It is a really good local program for local kids who will hopefully get a really good education in soccer.”

Tefler brings an even higher level of soccer curricula and skills discipline that is delivered to the programs’ coaches to further develop their players.

“Our kids needs to learn the fundamentals, repetition and time with the soccer ball,” Tefler concluded. “Whether the kids win or lose isn’t a yard stick on how they are developing. Winning is good, but we are focused on how our players are winning and if they using the skills that we are training them to use.”

For more information on the Carmel FC program, visit their website at carmeldadsclub.org.

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