Turf field named after founder of Wheaton soccer program

The Wheaton Park District honored soccer program founder Jerry Fajkus during a dedication ceremony Saturday at the Central Athletic Center, where a turf field now bears his name.

Fajkus, 90, asked the park district to start a soccer program in the early 1970s, in hopes of getting his two sons involved in a sport.

Park district officials agreed, but only if he could find 60 kids to join at $5 a person. Soccer wasn't popular in DuPage County at the time, but he managed to find 56 players and paid the $20 difference.

After setting up a successful soccer program in Wheaton, Fajkus was asked to do the same in Naperville, Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles. He eventually co-founded the first women's soccer team in the area, the Wheaton Rebels.

He continued volunteering for park district soccer programs through the 1990s, when he was in his 70s.

Officials estimate the park district now serves about 2,500 soccer players a year - an accomplishment that is, according to a memo sent to the park district board of commissioners, "a direct and obvious result of Jerry's influence."