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By Mieko Yamada, Purdue University Fort Wayne
The Fort Wayne Sport Club received the 2021 Welcoming Organization Award for its long-term outstanding contribution of embracing immigrants and the international community into the greater Fort Wayne area. The Sport Club is a family-oriented organization that welcomes all soccer players, their families, and friends from local and international communities. The Sport Club offers various programs for recreational and competitive players of all ages. It has certainly become a central place where people of all cultures share their passion for soccer and their love for their home countries.
The Fort Wayne Sport Club has a long rich history. The Sport Club was established in 1927 by a group of soccer players who had come to Fort Wayne from Germany. It aimed to develop the education of soccer as a sport culture and physical exercise, create a space for its members’ social recreation, and promote German culture. The Sport Club was not successful without struggles and challenges. One of the biggest challenges was the Club’s operation during World War II. It was suspended but resumed in 1947. The Sport Club created the women’s soccer team to play against a Schwaben women’s team from Chicago in 1969. Today, the Club membership represents over 30 countries from five different continents, and it does reflect Fort Wayne’s cultural diversity.
Dan Kruse, the president of the Fort Wayne Sport Club, is one of the key persons who can describe the Club’s roots, history, and progress. Dan’s commitment to the promotion of soccer education and culture is vital to the continuous growth of the Fort Wayne Sport Club.
Special thanks to Mieko Yamada, Ph.D., Professor and Program Coordinator, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Purdue University Fort Wayne, and her students for contributing their articles to Amani Family Services.