In the early '70s, NCFC Youth operated under the name Raleigh Soccer League. In 1974, the volunteer-led organization changed its name to “Capital Area Soccer League, Inc.” (i.e., CASL) and shortly thereafter received its 501c3 non-profit status. Since then, the organization has continued to operate as CASL. In 2017, the organization rebranded to “North Carolina FC Youth” (i.e., NCFC Youth), when CASL, TFCA, and the North Carolina Football Club collaborated to pool resources and expertise to better serve youth in our community and grow the game to all youth who want to play.

1974

Capital Area Soccer League, Inc. (CASL) was founded and established as a 501c3 non-profit organization in March 1974. Prior to the establishment of CASL, the league operated as the Raleigh Soccer Association, which was a sponsor of the Raleigh Soccer League. The following individuals are credited as the founders of CASL: 

·      Steve Almasi 

·      Pat Hamilton 

·      Bill Holleman 

·      Bill Plunkett 

CASL was the magnet that eventually brought in independently run competitive soccer programs in the area: Capital Area Classic Soccer Association and the Raleigh Girls and Boys Select Leagues. This brought recreation and competitive programs under the same roof. CASL added programs through the years including Challenge, Juniors, outreach programs, and an adult division, which was a predecessor to the now independent Triangle Adult Soccer League (TASL), to round out the full-service programming. Along the way, local soccer clubs and municipality programming joined CASL further expanding the club’s operations and service to the community. 

1981

After the land was purchased in December 1979, WRAL Soccer Park (formerly known as WRAL Soccer Center) opened with 14 fields in 1981. 

The now 22-field destination sports complex would not have been a reality without the foresight of early leaders and the support of local business and civic leader, Jim Goodmon. Jim Goodmon & Capitol Broadcasting Company financed the purchase of the 118-acre plot in northeast Raleigh, allowing CASL to build a hub of field operation and be ahead of the curve with the growth of the sport and tournament hosting. At the time, CASL was likely the only independent soccer organization in the country developing its own multi-field complex.  

WRAL Soccer Park is a destination sports complex that hosts soccer and non-soccer events including ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, flag football, archery, and more.  

1982

CASL's WRAL Soccer Park was a host venue for the Raleigh Shootout, the annual youth soccer tournament that was run by the Capital Area Classic Soccer Association (CACSA). CACSA was one of the competitive leagues in the area. In 1980, they took over the tournament operations from the Raleigh Jaycees, who started the tournament in 1976. Eventually, CASL would assume ownership and responsibility for the tournament once CACSA merged into CASL. 

The Raleigh Jaycees first tournament in 1976 hosted 21 teams, including 2 out of state teams. After CACSA took over operations, the tournament grew to 83 teams from 11 states and Canada. The Raleigh Shootout was a predecessor to NCFC Youth’s visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series, which consistently hosts 1,500+ teams from 35 states and multiple international destinations across 4 weekends of play.  

 
1987

The first major investment into WRAL Soccer Park expanded the park from 14 fields to 21 fields, added an irrigation pond and underwater irrigation to all fields, paved the main road, and beautified the park. Lights were added for the first time to three fields, including a central field that was rebuilt into a stadium field with bleachers and nearby permanent restrooms as part of the facility updates.  

This expansion and renovation were a result of Mr. Goodmon challenging the leaders of CASL to “finish” the development and construction of WRAL Soccer Center, at which point he would get them out from the mortgage debt of $300,000. Billy Trott, former CASL President in 1985, is credited with persuading Mr. Goodmon that CASL was in the process of sufficiently finishing WRAL Soccer Park. Therefore, Mr. Goodmon forgave the remaining debt. This freed up a significant amount of money and gave the organization the power to finance expansion in many ways, including the 1987 facility expansion and hiring the first Executive Director, Roland Paiva, in 1988. 

These updates were possible thanks generosity of Jim Goodmon and Capitol Broadcasting Company, a $55,000 grant from the Wake County Parks and Recreation department, a $25,000 matching grant from the NC General Assembly, $100,000 previously raised by CASL, and donations from local companies like Wake Stone Corporation. 

 
1995

’77 Spartans (girls) won the first USYS National Championship for North Carolina and CASL. The team was coached by Izzy Hernandez, who was also the long-time successful coach at Broughton High School. His success on the field earned him an induction into the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame in 2009.

The ’77 Spartans had a track record of success. The roster featured Lindsay Stoecker, a member of the U17 & U20 U.S. National Teams and a 1995 Parade All American. She went on to play at UNC (1996 – 1999) and professionally for the Washington Freedom in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA). 
 
The team faced De Anza Magic (North California) in the National Championship game. The ’77 Spartans rallied in the final 10 minutes from a two-goal deficit to tie the game. The tie continued through overtime before the Spartans won in penalty kicks 4-1. The team’s National Champion status was immortalized when they were inducted into the NC Soccer National Champions Hall of Fame in 2013. 

 
1999

Triangle Soccer Academy (TSA), the predecessor to Triangle Futbol Club Alliance (TFCA), was founded by six coaches across the men’s and women’s programs at Duke, UNC, and NC State: John Rennie (Duke), Bill Hempen (Duke), Anson Dorrance (UNC), Elmar Bolowich (UNC), George Tarantini (NC State), and Laura Kerrigan (NC State). In addition to these six coaches, the initial TSA Board was rounded out by Alvin Corneal and Bill Palladino, two local professional coaches at the time. 
 
Shortly after being founded, TSA changed its name to Triangle Futbol Club. Throughout its first 20 years, the club would combine resources and operations with the Fuquay Varina Athletic Association and Carolina Soccer Club among others to form the larger Triangle Futbol Club Alliance. TFCA was last headquartered out of Hillsborough, NC in the SOCCER.com headquarters. 

In 2017, under the leadership of Marlow Campbell, the club’s Executive Director, TFCA joined with CASL to form NCFC Youth. This brought two of the largest and most successful youth soccer organizations in the region together – bringing together the best in coaches, resources, players, and field access. 

 
2002

CASL partnered with SAS Institute & Carolina Courage (former professional women’s team) to build and open SAS Soccer Park (now WakeMed Soccer Park) in Cary, NC. This 10,000-seat stadium and facility became the future home for North Carolina FC (USL) and NC Courage (NWSL), host site for ACC and NCAA soccer championships, and destination soccer complex for international exhibitions, training camps, and high school championships. 

NCFC Youth is a local host partner for ACC Men’s & Women’s Championships and NCAA Men’s & Women’s College Cups hosted at WakeMed Soccer Park. Alongside other host partners, NCFC Youth has helped host more than 50 ACC Championships and NCAA College Cups since the stadium opened in 2002. 

2003

'88 CASL Elite won the Under 14 USYS National Championship, becoming the first boys’ team from North Carolina to be crowned champion. During the 2003 season, the team (led by Head Coach Bruce Talbot) went 17-0-1. After winning that year’s NCYSA State Cup, the team travelled to Greensboro for the USYS Region III Championships where they punched their ticket to Nationals in Germantown, MD. 

The ’88 boys lost their first match to Nether Providence (PA), but they regrouped and rebounded to win their next two round robin games which advanced them to the finals and a re-match with Nether. Nether went up 1-0 with 7 minutes left, but shortly after, CASL’s Watson Williams tied it up. The game went into sudden death overtime and CASL clinched the title with a header from Brett King 5 minutes into OT.   

2011

’94 CASL Chelsea ladies defeated Real So Cal 4-1 to win the U16 ECNL National Championship in Aurora, Colorado under Head Coach Damon Nahas. After being down 1-0 early in the game, CASL tied the game 1-1 after Paige Reckert headed in a cross from Claire Wagner. After a delay for lightning and halftime, CASL outplayed their opponent and tallied 3 more goals, resulting in a hat trick for Reckert. 

2012

’94 CASL Chelsea ladies & Damon Nahas won back-to-back ECNL National Championship. The U17 ECNL national championship was a hard-fought match between CASL Chelsea Ladies and Michigan Hawks in Waukegan, Illinois. CASL went up 1-0 with a header from Joanna Boyles, but the Hawks quickly tied the game 1-1. This tie lasted through regulation and overtime, which sent the game to a penalty-kick shootout. CASL was down 3-1 in PKs, but they fought their way back after a clutch PK from Christina Gibbons, a save by goalkeeper Taylor Francis, and another must-make PK by Alexis Degler which tied it up 3-3. After two more makes from both sides, Francis made another save, giving CASL the chance at the game winning shot. Morgan Reid scored the game winning PK which captured the title. 
 

2015

$3.8 million renovation project at WRAL Soccer Park began. The 118-acre facility, which was home to 22 fields, underwent a massive upgrade including the construction of new turf fields, paving, new permanent restroom facilities, beautification, and much more. The updates also included connecting the facility to the City of Raleigh’s greenway. 

The renovation project was funded through a loan and grant from Capitol Broadcasting Company. 

2016

CASL ’02 Academy Juniors and Head Coach Mark Jonas won the USYS U13 Boys National Championship in Frisco, Texas after defeating Strikers FC Chingirian (South California) 2-1. The championship match was a rematch from group play that saw CASL lose 2-0. During the championship game, CASL took an early lead when Jason Smith scored a header from a corner kick. Strikers found a goal shortly after, bringing the game to 1-1. CASL did not let the tie hold long – Adam Armour found the back of the net before halftime, which would turn into the game winning goal. Goalkeeper Trace Alphin made some crucial saves to hold the lead. 

2017

CASL’s contributions to Raleigh, its citizens, and its history were immortalized in 2017 with an induction into the Raleigh Hall of Fame. The Raleigh Hall of Fame honors individuals and non-profit organizations that have made lasting contributions to Raleigh’s proud history. As a non-profit organization, CASL was recognized for their full-service soccer programming to thousands of local players and families, outreach programs, and impact on the economy through tournaments, field investments, and development. 

2017

CASL, TFCA, and North Carolina Football Club enter an historic collaboration combining two of the largest and most successful youth soccer clubs in the state with the professional club. CASL CEO, Gary Buete, TFCA Executive Director, Marlow Campbell, and North Carolina Football Club owner, Steve Malik, were the three visionaries leading the collaboration, which created a youth-to-pro pipeline and combined resources (e.g., staff, fields, expertise, and coaches.) to enhance the player and family experience at every level of play. 

In 2017, North Carolina Football Club was home to North Carolina FC, formerly known as the Carolina RailHawks, and the newly relocated NC Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). With this collaboration, there was now a professional pipeline of youth-to-professional development for both girls and boys. 

This collaboration resulted in CASL and TFCA collectively rebranding to North Carolina FC Youth (NCFC Youth), while continuing to operate under the bylaws and founding principles of CASL. 
 

2019

NCFC Youth is one of 20 area companies and non-profits in the area recognized with Triangle Business Journal’s “Corporate Philanthropy Award”. NCFC Youth was recognized for going beyond the call of duty to serve our community and making a difference in the Triangle. 

2021

NCFC Youth partnered with Town of Knightdale, Wake County, & Wake Stone Corporation to open Wake Stone Athletic Park, a 5-field complex with room and plans for more field development. Wake Stone Corporation donated the land (40 acres) to the Town of Knightdale for development. The Wake County Board of Commissioners awarded the town a $1 million grant supported by the Hospitality Tax Small Projects Capital Grant program in 2018. NCFC Youth partnered with the other entities and provided additional funds and management needed to complete the project. Through a long-term lease, NCFC Youth operates, maintains, and schedules the park. 

Wake Stone Athletic Park serves the local playing needs of Knightdale residents and the surrounding area for practices and games along with being a tournament hub for NCFC Youth.

2023

NCFC Youth receives John B. Ross Jr. Leadership Award from the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. The award was established in 1996 to recognize an outstanding executive management-level individual or group who displays exceptional leadership skills to positively impact the Wake County hospitality industry and community. NCFC Youth’s visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series was spotlighted as part of the award recognition for being the area’s largest youth sporting event in the Triangle region and contributing more than $28 million annually in direct visitor spending – an economic impact many times multiplied since this tournament has been hosted at WRAL Soccer Park and surrounding fields since 1982.