Volunteer has kept ball rolling for soccer group for 2 decades

After more than 20 years of helping build a fledgling program for kids into the biggest soccer association in the state, Bill Hoag is as fired up as ever.

Hoag, a trim and youthful 50, lives to promote the sport and energize others into participating. And it’s not just the kids. He takes delight in getting adults involved.

“When I meet people who have issues,” said Hoag, of Duluth, “I always ask them ‘Do you volunteer?’ I tell them we’re going to have a meeting. You have a great idea. And that’s usually the end of the conversation.”

Hoag, the father of two grown daughters, was recently honored as Volunteer of the Year by the Georgia Recreation and Park Association. He and his wife of 27 years, Betsy, moved to Georgia from New Jersey in 1983. They settled in Gwinnett County the following year.

“My mother and father were always involved, primarily with the school,” he said. “We went to school at St. Theresa’s [in Kenilworth, N.J.]. There was a carnival every summer. And you were a volunteer at the carnival. You just were. It wasn’t an offer.”

“My father was Cub Scoutmaster at one point. My mother was the head of the rosary society. Their attitude was, if you’re not going to get involved, then you have no reason to ever say anything.”

Hoag has done plenty of talking since he enrolled his elder daughter in a soccer league at the age of 5.

“It was down Peachtree Industrial and it was called Rivergreen Industrial Park [now the Scott Hudgens Soccer Complex]. Basically it was a little cow pasture where they used to have chicken coops.”

Hoag became the typical soccer parent, and soon he enrolled his younger daughter in what was the West Gwinnett Soccer League Club. Soon, he decided to step into the action.

“I saw a 45-year-old man yelling at 5- to 6-year-olds,” Hoag recalled. “He really was destroying them. I mean they’re supposed to be learning the enjoyment of the game. … Finally the guy bowed out, and I started coaching.”

As his daughters grew into the program, Hoag grew into coaching. As his daughters slowly sought other interests, Hoag stayed with soccer.

“They started up a coed league for adults, which was supposed to be fun. … I started playing and I enjoyed it so much —- I hadn’t played since high school —- they said the only way they would continue it is if someone runs it. And I said, ‘OK, I’ll run it.’ “

He also became involved with the director of fields and started helping him with the setup on the fields, marking fields, getting equipment ready, running field days for the club, which led him to get involved with the city of Duluth and Gwinnett County.

Hoag became adept at wheeling and dealing for improvements. But everything he asked for, he said, the association would pay for a share.

Many of the soccer facility improvements, such as lighting and fencing, have been joint ventures between the association and the county. Sometimes, the association makes bigger investments. In recent years, it went in with the county in building a $50,000 pavilion at George Pierce Park.

The club, now called the Atlanta Fire United Soccer Association, has grown from 1,600 children 10 years ago to 4,000 today, making it the largest soccer association in Georgia.

His impact goes beyond the soccer field.

“He’s always been there,” said Tina Fleming, Gwinnett County’s deputy director of recreation. “He’s been a constant. When their leadership has changed, he’s been a constant liaison with the parks and recreation, and it’s been a positive relationship. That constant presence has been great for the department.”