Enid Soccer Club History
Gary Smyly
Gary
Lee Smyly passed away September 26, 2009 in Kansas City. He was a
long time resident of Enid and was instrumental in creating the
beginnings of our current Soccer Complex some 23 years ago. Gary
and Charlene’s boys participated in the Soccer Club which played
most of their games at the Fairgrounds. Permission was obtained
from the City of Enid to try and turn the hard clay of the flood
retention ponds into a playable surface. Gary along with some other
brave souls laid out a few fields and turned the ground. Gary owned
BLIS (Beautiful Laws Installed and Serviced) and hydro-mulched what
are now fields 1 through 5. They also installed our first sprinkler
system with removable heads. Charlene tells the story of many
nights standing on the dyke, holding a floodlight so Gary could see
to spread the grass mixture or change a sprinkler head. As Gary put
it “If I can grow grass here, I can grow grass anywhere”.
As you step over the dyke on one of our beautiful Fall days, stop
and have your player or team look out over the Complex. Tell them
that these 35 acres of fields didn’t just happen to appear. They are
the culmination of the hard work and dedication by wonderful
volunteers’ the like of Gary Lee Smyly who gave up many of his days
fishing and hunting so that the kids of Enid could have a place of
their own to play soccer. Thanks Gary and May You Rest in Peace!
