By Jackie Garrett

In 2012, Rob Hulbert was living in San Diego, CA, when he walked into the San Diego AO chapter bar as a stranger and walked out a member of the family. Rob said his life changed forever that day. His passion for soccer and his newfound friends have led him around the world following the US soccer teams. Rob went to the 2014 Men’s World Cup in Brazil with AO members and loves that no matter where he goes to see a game, he always knows someone at the tailgate. 

In 2017, Rob moved to Colorado Springs to get married and start a family, and his first stop was the AO chapter bar. In 2024, he became the chapter president of the 106-member chapter.  His focus has been to make this chapter a family. He believes this starts with giving back to the community together.

The Festival of Trees is held every year in Colorado Springs at the Meridian Community Rec Center the weekend after Thanksgiving. Organizations purchase a prelit tree around 7ft tall and come up with a theme to decorate the tree. That tree is on display at the Christmas Market at the rec center where people come to the market to shop and can bid on it in person or online. This year, Colorado Springs AO entered a tree decorated with Scottish cows. The $200 bid from the sale of the tree is going to AO Impact whose mission is to change soccer in America from the ground up, by opening more opportunities for everyone to play the game.

The tree lists Colorado Springs AO as the donating organization and AO Impact as the recipient of the auction proceeds. Rob hopes that people who may not know who AO Colorado Springs is, after seeing the tree, look them up and join the chapter.

The Festival of Trees has more meaning to Rob than just a fun way to give back to AO Impact. Rob’s parents lost everything in the devastating wildfires in California. They had nowhere to live, so they decided to move to Colorado to be closer to Rob. That first Christmas after the fire was really hard for them because there was no tree, no ornaments that held so many memories. They had nothing. But they went to the Festival of Trees and were very excited at the thought of a new completely decorated tree and the new memories it would bring.  Rob saw the impact this tree had on his family and wanted it to be the first thing the Chapter did when he took over as president in 2024. Last year at the Festival of Trees, their tree design was from the movie Wicked. They made $165 from the auction and donated it to the Colorado Youth Rec Soccer League to help cover player fees for kids who could not afford them. 

Even though Colorado Springs does not host US soccer games, it loves to travel to other cities in Colorado that do. In October, they took a bus to the USMNT vs Australia game in Commerce City.  “It’s so comforting to have that warm embrace while supporting the US men and women. It doesn't matter what game I go to or where it’s at, I always see someone I know and it’s like family.” Rob said that his members and board all agree that focusing on AO Impact and how they can make their chapter one that uses their love and passion for the US national teams for good is their priority going into the World Cup. They want to grow the game, their chapter, and their community.

To keep up with AO Colorado Springs, follow along on Instagram @coloradosprings_ao. To join their chapter, click here.