Paula Merritt / The Meridian StarRusty Warden played in the Meridian Youth Soccer Organization as a child. Now he's giving back as a volunteer, with his own children participating in the league.

A Meridian native who played soccer when he was young, Rusty Warden wanted to give back to the Meridian Youth Soccer Organization once his children were old enough to play.

It was, after all, the same organization in which he developed his soccer game up through his high school years. Warden’s parents, Tom and Judy Warden, were also board members for MYSO when Rusty was a child, with Judy Warden serving as the league’s first treasurer, Warden said, so there was a family legacy angle as well.

“I played all my life there, and when I had kids, I was excited for them to be involved, so I became involved,” Warden said.

Addyson and Abram Warden are now 11 and 8 and Rusty Warden has more than lived up to that wish: He is an MYSO board member who oversees the Alliance Futbol Club, which is the travel ball wing of the organization. The MYSO is an organization made entirely of volunteers, and Warden said their passion has turned MYSO into one of the state’s premier youth soccer leagues.

“Soccer is a tremendous outlet for children,” Warden said. “Like any other team sport, it teaches life lessons and creates good life experiences. We’re super-blessed to have a community that supports the program, and it’s one of the largest soccer organizations in Mississippi because of its volunteers.”

MYSO President Matt Castleberry said Warden has proven an invaluable piece to the league’s board and to Alliance FC.

“Rusty’s been involved with MYSO for about seven years, and he’s one of those people that you like to have in any type of organization, but especially in a sports organization,” Castleberry said. “He’s someone who wants what’s best for the club and city and wants us to do the best job for the kids he coaches. He’s always learning and looking at new ideas and partnerships. Whatever we can do to promote soccer in Meridian, he’s always at the forefront trying to do that.”

Nominate a volunteer

 

To nominate a volunteer for consideration for The Meridian Star’s Our Volunteers series, send an email to editor@themeridianstar.com and use the word “volunteers” in the subject line.

There are several tiers of volunteers within the organization, with your entry level volunteers being the various coaches and concession stand workers. The next level of volunteers are the league directors and divisional directors, and then the vice president and president. Alliance FC is a separate wing of the league with its own sets of volunteers as well.

The recreational division oversees 700-plus children, while the travel division oversees approximately 250 players. Neither would be possible without the dedication of the league’s volunteers, who help operate 10 months worth of activities, Warden said.

“Volunteers make all the difference,” Warden said. “We host two to three tournaments a year, and without fail we get glowing reviews from all the teams about how well-run our tournaments are and how organized our volunteers are. That’s all due to their passion for the game and for the benefit of the children.”

In fact, it’s that passion for the game that makes the volunteers devote time to the league during the 10 months it’s in operation, Warden said. Many of them played soccer when they were children and developed a love for the game — and a lot played in MYSO, just like Warden.

“That’s what separates us,” Warden said.

Castleberry echoed Warden’s sentiments, saying without the volunteers at all levels, MYSO would cease to function.

“They are so important,” Castleberry said. “It couldn’t happen without every single volunteer we have. Most people don’t realize all of the moving pieces and parts involved, especially in an organization as big as Meridian Youth Soccer.”

For Warden personally, the chance to give back to the soccer league of his youth brings plenty of fulfillment.

“It’s a tremendous reward to look and see these kids play and to watch them continue to grow, not only in becoming soccer players but also in having passion for the game,” Warden said. “That’s the reward.”