History of the IASB

Soccer came to Indiana in 1976 via an elementary school survey, where kickball ranked number one on the list and soccer seven spots below. The Recreation Department took a chance with soccer and instituted the game to the Indiana youth. But it was about that time in the late '70s that several parents saw past the chaotic recreational game and envisioned that the game of soccer should evolve into the sport of soccer in Indiana. 

Then in 1979, the Indiana Area Soccer Boosters held its first meeting, a potluck dinner, where the group chose the first officers: Alex Stewart, president; Paul Calvetti, vise-president; Nick Pacalo, Treasurer; and Pam Dodds, secretary. The organization's main goals were to promote the sport, extend the boundaries into other areas, and to act as a fundraiser for the teams allowing participation in Pittsburgh leagues and tournaments, while strengthening relations with other soccer organizations.

The boosters' first steps led Indiana to an invite to play a trial year in PA West. But, after a year of solid play and a winning record, the league kicked Indiana out reasoning that excessive travel distance exceeded the quality of play. However, after two years of constantly lobbying Pa West for reinstatement, the boosters were readmitted. 

Around the same time Pa West invited Indiana to join, several booster members presented weeks of research to the Indiana school board in hopes of making soccer an extracurricular activity for the junior and senior high school students. That year soccer sprung into the junior high; it hit the senior high the following year as a boy's sport (It took an additional nine years before the boosters could influence the start of a high school girls' team.)

The boosters; advancements had just begun. With momentum and popularity rising in the early 1990s, the organization entered more age groups to participate in Pa West. 1993 saw U-10, U-12 and a girls U-19 team make their first pass. This was also the same year that Indiana partnered with the Indiana University of Pennsylvania to start indoor tournaments, which has been a strong tradition in Indiana ever since.
Now, the Indiana Area Soccer Boosters have participating hundreds of players aging from as young as five to as old as 19. They have facilities for year-round play - the S&T Arena for Indoor and the White Township Complex for fall and spring Travel & Pee Wee Soccer. They have also annually awarded four Indiana High School Soccer Scholarships to Seniors, supported Pa West Tournament Championship teams and two Travel Coaches of the Year from as early as 1982 to as recently as 2005.

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The Glenn Palmer Award

The Glenn Palmer Award was established in 1980 and is awarded annually for the purpose of recognizing a Booster member for exhibiting a long-term history of outstanding service to the Indiana Area Soccer Program.

The honoree is chosen by a consensus of the two previous recipients of this award.

All awardees are well aware of the dedication and hard work required to make all the booster programs a success and choose a winner that is deserving of this award.

A complete list of past recipients can be found by clicking on the following attachment.

Glenn Palmer Award Recipients