Portchester, New
York. Soccer became a part of his lfe which he passed on to thousands of Newtown kids since 1972 when he founded Newtown Soccer Club.
Al Taubert, who died December 26, 2001 at 71 following a battle with cancer, was a pioneer in youth soccer in Connecticut. Al was a highly respected coach, trainer and player. Above all, he was a giving teacher who applied lessons learned on the field to life. While Al will be sorely missed, he leaves behind a lasting legacy.
Al Taubert grew up in a soccer household
in Portchester, New
York. Soccer became a
part of his lfe which he passed on to thousands of Newtown kids
since 1972 when he founded Newtown Soccer Club.
Al moved to Newtown in 1966. After retiring from the U.S. Air Force, he joined Pan American Airlines as a pilot. During that time, he played soccer with a Pan Am international team. His education as a soccer coach came largely from time spent abroad with the military and Pan Am. After settling in Newtown, Al joined a Wilton team in tthe Connecticut State Soccer Association. While he was enjoying his team, Al wondered why there were so few players in and around Newtown. People who knew Al say that he went around convincing kids to play. The rest is history...
As youth soccer grew, Al worked to develop it on the state level and was among the first members of the CJSA Board of Directors. Parents became involved and the Newtown Soccer Club was formed -- an organization that began with 14 players and now serves more than 1,000 players in recreational, travel and premier soccer teams.
Al played a key role in changing the climate for soccer. He was among the first "A" licensed coaches -- the highest coaching designation offered by the U.S. Soccer Federation. He also spent thirty years teaching parents how to coach soccer.
In addition, Al spearheaded the movement to bring professional soccer trainers to Newtown's travel teams and also began running more formalized training clinics for the in-house teams. These decisions have fueled NSC's success in the Northwest District and in the state. Mr. Taubert's emphasis on training has been one of the reasons Newtown High School's soccer program remains among the strongest programs in the state and in the nation. Al had coached many of Newtown High School's current and former team members when they were first learning the game.
Al was inducted into the Newtown Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. At that time, he was one of a handful of men in their sixties playing in the over-40 league. At the age of 68, Al had coached almost continuously, on one NSC team or another, since he formed the club. He had also coached at Western Connecticut State University, Fairfield University and Newtown High School. Al was affiliated with a number of touring soccer camps and the David Gaetano Camp for a number of years.
Al Taubert is remembered as a caring, giving man whose dedication to soccer went beyond the sport. The lessons that he learned on the field as a player and those he taught as a trainer and coach were lessons that he took off the field as well. He used his sense of humor along with his soccer expertise to pass his love of the sport on to a new generation. Al is survived by his wife Kathryn, three children and grandchildren.
NSC and Newtown High School paid tribute to Al Taubert on October 17, 2002 in a well-attended ceremony at Treadwell Park. During the ceremony, a granite bench was unveiled with an inscription which captures Al's perspective on soccer and life. The bench overlooks the field which will now be called Taubert Field at Treadwell Park.
