Undoubtedly, St. Louis is amid a massive soccer frenzy, with a new generation of fans riding the wave of the game’s popularity with St. Louis City SC, Major League Soccer’s most talked-about team, along with those who grew up cheering for the Steamers in the ‘80s or started playing in the CYC back in the day.
But as the new “Soccer City” exhibition at the Missouri History Museum reveals, the history of the sport in St. Louis goes even deeper, dating back almost 150 years.
The waves of immigration prior to the Civil War drastically changed the makeup of the city, and by 1860, more than half of St. Louis’ population was foreign born. These immigrant communities introduced the sport of “European football” – or soccer – to neighborhoods, parks and playgrounds.
In 1875, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported on a match between two teams, the Blondes and the Brunettes, making it the first recorded game in the city.
“They play at this field called St. Louis Baseball Park, which became the space for Sportsman’s Park,” said Sharon Smith, curator of Civic and Personal Identity for the Missouri Historical Society.
Smith notes that while Sportsman’s Park would later be known as the field where the St. Louis Browns and the St. Louis Cardinals played, early soccer teams also made their mark there, as indicated by a spot on a large map in the gallery that demonstrates the growth of the game throughout the city.
“To think of all the parks and all the places where people played soccer in the layout of the city… and when you look at the map, you see where we expand from north to south,” Smith said. “It’s really important because you see that these immigrant groups were suddenly in these neighborhoods, playing soccer in the neighborhoods and trying to figure out how they can get this game off the ground, so to speak. It wasn’t until things got organized that you start to find them in the bigger parks, like Carondelet and Tower Grove.”
“Soccer City,” on display from April 8 to Feb. 18, 2024, chronicles St. Louis’ love affair with the game, the city’s rich soccer legacy and its important place in American sports history.
The free exhibit features soccer artifacts, an immersive game room, and photos and video over the decades, including rare black-and-white footage from the 1950s shot by Swedish immigrant and soccer player and enthusiast Court Hillstrom, who documented games featuring the Catholic Youth Council (CYC), amateur teams and the St. Louis Soccer Stars from atop his Volkswagen bus.
“I can look at this footage and say, ‘This is real.’ It brings all of this stuff to life,” Smith said. “That kind of footage doesn’t always exist from that far back.”
On display are jerseys from some of the game’s biggest names: Marty Krumm, Pat McBride, Ty Keough, Daryl Doran, Lori Chalupny and Becky Sauerbrunn. The newly minted St. Louis CITY SC team is also front and center: You’ll find the first goal ball scored by Tim Parker for St. Louis CITY SC during its inaugural match on Feb. 25, 2023 in Austin, along with the jersey Parker wore to the team’s CITYPARK debut one week later.
One of the exhibit’s most striking visuals is at the entrance, where an entire wall proclaims, “St. Louis is a true soccer city” in more than a dozen languages – a true testament to the sport’s roots within the immigrant community.
“Soccer gets here with the immigrant groups. It’s very much a neighborhood sport with immigrants playing among their own, beginning with The Hill and Kerry Patch,” Smith said. “We’ve had other immigrant groups that have come since – the Bosnian wave, various Asian and African groups – and they’re bringing that same culture of European football (or soccer). Not to mention, the current team has players from all around the world.”
Opening Day festivities for “Soccer City” take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 8. The day begins with a ribbon-cutting led by Lori Chalupny and Club Atletico mascot Benito, followed by a museum-wide pep rally with School of Rock, and performances from the Fort Zumwalt South High School cheer team, AfroKuumba Dancers, the Red and Black Brass Band and more. Crafts, Spanish-English soccer story time and a kids’ soccer workshop are also on tap. For a complete schedule of events, visit the Missouri History Museum’s “Soccer City” exhibit page.
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