What started nearly 40 years ago as a way for one boy to play a sport he was passionate about, turned into an organization that opened the door for countless others to step into a world of possibility and shared purpose. But at its heart, Greenville’s Unity Sports Soccer Club is rooted in a father’s hopes for his son.
The closed door
In 1986 in Greenville, soccer was a sport played almost exclusively by people who were white and relatively affluent. Being the only African American player on the team was something Kevin Springle had grown accustomed to — it was just the way things were. After starting out in recreational league play at the Cleveland Street YMCA, Kevin learned and excelled.
But the day came when he aspired to climb to the next level of play above recreational leagues: classic soccer. He tried out for a coveted team, St. Giles, but didn’t make the cut.
Suspecting that it was Kevin’s skin color — and not a lack of ability — that had kept him off the team, Hiram Springle, Kevin’s father, decided to start a team that would be inclusive, that would open the door of opportunity to young people regardless of their backgrounds.
Thus began Unity Sports Soccer Club and Dr. Kevin Springle, now a pediatrician in Simpsonville, says his father’s vision and the experience of playing soccer with other kids who looked like him made all the difference.
“It was really huge for my self-esteem,” Dr. Springle says. “Just that whole experience has shaped who I’ve become.”
An open field
“When we first started, the other clubs were not used to seeing teams with Black kids on them,” Hiram Springle says.
He explains that he not only wanted to start a team that would give his son a chance to pursue his passion but would also give inner city kids a chance to play a sport few of them had ever been exposed to before.
The learning curve was steep in those early years for both Springle and the kids, all of them learning a new sport and forging a path in a world that was almost entirely dominated by white players and coaches.
Steve Johnson was one of those coaches and says it was an eye-opening and rewarding experience for him and for his four children to play against Springle and the teams Unity Sports fielded.
“[Unity teams] ended up usually beating us,” Johnson remembers with a laugh. “We became friends … I was just impressed with [Hiram’s] dedication.”
Over decades Johnson says he witnessed the power of soccer as a team sport in shaping young lives. He saw it with his kids, and he saw it with the players on teams Springle brought to the pitch.
“Team sports are a wonderful opportunity in teaching kids a lot of things about life,” Johnson says.
Unity Sports Soccer Club’s founder is proud of the opportunities the club has created for more than 1,000 young boys and girls over more than 30 years. At 75, Hiram Springle says he hopes the club will serve as a legacy for him and his family by continuing to open doors for young people.
“I feel like our club is emblematic of what we believe in,” he says.
