By Jackie Garrett, Director of AO Impact, and Mitch Morice of AO St. Louis

The first Saturday after New Year's Eve, you can find the members of AO St. Louis on a soccer field. This is when the annual Louligans vs. AO St. Louis soccer game is held at Fenton Soccer Park. Rain, shine, snow, or ice, the game goes on. This annual fundraiser for the St. Louis Area Foodbank has become something soccer fans of all ages look forward to.

Mitch Morice recalls the game’s inception: “As with most things we do, it started with something silly. We had been talking about getting together for a game in bad weather intentionally. You'd hear all these stories about European teams playing in the snow, snowball fights in the stands, etc. We'd never have that since the US soccer season was summer based, so we thought we should just do it ourselves.  Then it evolved into ‘playing the American Outlaws.’” This was funny because many Louligans are also AO members, so it was like they were playing themselves.

“So it became an annual thing, and grew every year,” Mitch continued. “Every first Saturday of the year, regardless of weather, we play. When Saint Louis FC started to play in the USL, we followed them to Soccer Park in Fenton. There has only been one year where it didn't occur; the floods in 2016 had Soccer Park under water and we ended up doing the food drive at a bar/restaurant that was a partner of the team.”

Aaron Mednik, AO St. Louis Chapter Membership Leader, stated that this annual event was started by the Louiligans over 10 years ago. The group selected the St. Louis Area Foodbank as the organization they wanted to donate to because food banks are often drained after the holidays. The hope is that their fundraising helps to start the year off with plenty of food and cash donations. In the past, this collaboration event has raised over 1,000 pounds of food in a day, along with cash donations.

Mitch adds that “the Foodbank drops off barrels for the collection; people can pull up and drop off food and we usually have high school students who need community service hours helping, but most of the time it's just everyone together.  We get adult sports beverages from local breweries (Urban Chestnut Brewing, Schlafly, and 2nd Shift) which helps us stay warm filling those barrels.”

The doors open at 10am and the game starts at 11.  In order to play, you have to make a donation.  Both food and money are collected. The Foodbank is able to stretch donations further than we ever could, so every can and every penny matters,” says Mitch.

The teams allow kids and adults alike to play, and at halftime, some team members from each side usually end up switching jerseys and playing for the other team since many of the Louligans are also AO members. Aaron Mednik said, "We love coming together as a soccer community and meeting other local soccer players and supporting our community."

Kevin Marshall, the "coach" (aka, the President of the AO St. Louis chapter) has embraced the concept the past few years. Both teams have deep benches that are usually 20+ people each; it's not uncommon to see players switch sides as well.

“We have evolved the rules as the years have gone on,” Mitch explains. “You can switch out players without stopping, like hockey or indoor soccer. Playing with a drink in hand is not illegal and is often encouraged. Kids are welcome to play and are taken care of when playing. When the game is winding down and it's either getting too competitive or people are fading, we throw a bunch of balls on the field and yell ‘MULTIBALL!’ Amazingly, somehow during multiball, the Louligans have scored enough to win every year since.”

Mitch is proud of what they’ve created and it all started from a bit of fun. “There's a yearly joke of Patrick Houlihan, Louligan and American Outlaws member, getting a red card for no reason; a kid ran into him one year and bounced off Pat, so every year Pat gets a red card early on now.”

Aaron adds that this game is often attended by St. Louis FC and Saint Louis CITY SC players who come to cheer on the game. Local soccer celebrities also show up and play in the game.

It's a great time for all; people show up to play, show up to just watch (many from inside the Soccer Park bar where it's warm!). In STL, the weather is always a roll of the dice. The groups have played in near 50 degrees, single digits, sun, snow, rain...they never know what the weather will be, which is half the fun!

The community soccer game continually raises a large amount for the Foodbank, and it's a great way for the new soccer season to kick off. People are always generous when it involves having fun; the support of the Soccer Park and breweries are critical and the Louligans and AO St. Louis are so appreciative of it. Especially with the economy the way it has been, especially in the light of the tornado this summer that took out a large area of homes, the Foodbank needs help and participating in the annual soccer game is a great way to do so.

If a person has been to every one, or this is their first, it's a great way to have fun, be silly, and make a positive impact on the community.  And maybe have a good story to tell at next year's event!

To keep up with AO St. Louis, follow along on Instagram @american_outlaws_stl. To join their chapter, click here.