Catching up with: Steve Rausch

Tony Altobelli

When dentist Steve Rausch began his involvement with the American

Youth Soccer Organization, he couldn’t tell the difference between an

offside and fluoride.

“I grew up with baseball, football and basketball,” Rausch said. “I

had no soccer experience whatsoever. I just watched for a few games and I

quickly got familiar with the sport.”

Twelve years later, Rausch has experienced just about every facet of

youth soccer, from coach, to referee to divisional director to assistant

commissioner to regional commissioner.

Finally, after four years as the Region 97 commissioner, Rausch will

step down. Boys Division 3 director Tony Anish will replace Rausch, who

will maintain his involvement with the organization as a field

coordinator.

“When I first became involved with AYSO Region 97, there were maybe

700 kids playing,” Rausch said. “Now, we’ve got anywhere from

1,700-1,900. The game has really become the youth sport to be a part of.”

Rausch began his soccer legacy when his oldest son, Steven, was a

player. “I was going to be out there anyway so I thought if I could make

a difference with the kids or help the organization out, I’d volunteer my

time,” Rausch said. “From there, I coached my younger son, Chris, and my

daughter, Kate, as well.”

In addition to his coaching effort, Rausch also volunteered as a

referee. “That was neat for me because I got to experience the game from

an entirely different perspective,” he said. “Of course, my whole point

of being involved was for the kids, but I did it for me, too. It was a

great experience.”

From there, Rausch served as a board director for three seasons. “The

main responsibility of a board director is to put the teams together,” he

said. “I was primarily in charge of the Division 6 and 7 teams.”

Rausch was then appointed to assistant commissioner and would have

stayed there if not for the departure of the regional commissioner.

“I was moved up by acclamation,” Rausch said. “I received a ton of

help from volunteers and parents, which made my job a heck of a lot

easier.”

Rausch saw the increase of soccer interest hit around 1984, during the World Cup. “That year, we went from 700 kids to 1,300,” he said. “The

World Cup in ’84 really turned a lot of families on to soccer.”

Region 97 has had its ups and downs and with any organization, there’s

bound to be some competition to deal with.

“Club soccer and other sports such as baseball, football, basketball

and hockey have been our biggest competition,” Rausch said. “In the past,

I was pretty antagonistic about kids going to club soccer, but now, I’ve

come to understand and accept kids choosing that avenue.”

The inspiration of all this hard work with AYSO came from his father,

who was Rausch’s No. 1 fan. “I grew up during a time when parents really

had a hard time going to their kids’ sporting events,” Rausch said. “But

my dad always made sure he was there and that really meant a lot to me,

so I made sure I would be there for my kids as well.”

When not in the soccer world, Rausch runs his own dental practice,

which allows him the time needed to volunteer at AYSO. “I you ask my

wife, Janet, she sometimes thinks I spent too much time with soccer and

not enough time as a dentist,” he said with a laugh.

“Even after my last child plays AYSO, I’ll probably still be involved

with the organization. It’s a great program to be a part of.”

AYSO Region 97 covers west Newport Beach and parts of Costa Mesa. “In

my opinion, it’s the best youth program around,” Rausch said. “I’ve had

so much fun and I’ve made many friends. Former kids I’ve coached come up

to me all the time and that’s the best feeling. I just hope when people

leave AYSO, they leave with a good taste in their mouth.”

Spoken like a true dentist.