Editor's note: This story was originally published September 30, 2015
Palatine soccer history comes
to the fore with Kinsella Cup
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE — Jimmy Kinsella arrived in Palatine from his native Glasgow, Scotland in 1953. At the age of 30, but had already encountered a lifetime of important experiences. He served with distinction in the Royal Air Force and incurred a serious left leg injury from shrapnel suffered in the Italian theater of World War II.
America was a foreign place, but it provided a vibrant connection to his past -- the deep and abiding love he carried for soccer and his cherished Glasgow Celtic program. In 1967, the Palatine Park District sought out Kinsella and fellow United Kingdom transplant and friend, Bill Hughes, of England, to form the first organized soccer instructional camps in the area.
In 1968, Kinsella and Hughes founded the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club.
By then Kinsella had assimilated into the American lifestyle. For work, he founded a house painting company that he named Scotty. Outside of his family, soccer remained his ruling passion, said his son, John Kinsella, now a DuPage County judge and 1974 Fremd graduate. In the analog era, he listened obsessively, even recording, the BBC radio broadcasts of Celtic games.
In the aftermath of the 1971 tragedy where more than 60 people were killed in a stairway trampling at the Old Firm crosstown rivalry match between Celtic and Rangers, Kinsella went on the popular Wally Phillips radio program on WGN and shared his recording.
All the while he worked with his Celtic club, but not necessarily as those who did not know him may have envisioned.
“The irony was because of his leg, he couldn’t really move that well, and Bill Hughes did most of the actual coaching,” Judge Kinsella said. He was an early variant of what is called today a super fan, his son said.
The elder Kinsella was also a strong advocate of the game who lobbied the athletic directors and administrators at Palatine and Fremd high schools to develop their own programs before the sport was officially sanctioned by the IHSA.
By the time the IHSA inaugurated the sport in 1972, Palatine was already ahead of the curve. The Pirates reached their first state quarterfinal appearance in 1977 and won the state title in 1994 and finished third in 1995.
Fremd won state titles in 1984 and 1997 and finished state runnerup in 1993. The program also captured state trophies in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2011 and a third place finish in Class 3A last year.
As a groundbreaking aficionado, Kinsella anticipated the game’s explosive popularity to come. As such his legacy in Palatine continues to thrive through the Celtic program. And it has made the rivalry between Palatine and Fremd high schools all the more exhilarating.
“It’s teammates against teammates, so that’s something we are not used to seeing,” Celtic club president Jennifer DeFranco said. “It’s great for the community.”
The next stage of the Kinsella Cup unfolds at 4:45 p.m. Friday when Fremd hosts Palatine in the renewal of the programs’ soccer clash. The Cup is challenged twice a year, in the fall with the boys’ programs and in the spring with the girls’ sides.
If Kinsella is the godfather of Palatine soccer, his strong identification with the local Celtic club only deepens the intrigue and backdrop of a game already suffused with personal meaning and a vested community interest.
“I’ve been playing for Celtic for nine years, and I’ve been playing with many of the guys on the Fremd team for most of those years,” Palatine midfielder Matthew Mayer said. “The game is not just about bragging rights, which is important, but it definitely raises your game and it makes you want to win it even more.”
Fremd won in overtime last year at Palatine. The depth of feeling registered on both sides.
“Even six months later in the spring we were still talking about the game we played,” Palatine defender Liam Obernesser said.
The Celtic connection presents a fascinating up-close analysis different from any other. The teams don't require introductions to each other, and scouting reports are intuitive and deeply informed.
“We definitely know how Fremd likes to play, in the open spaces and run on and play a more possessive style game that you have to get used to,” Obernesser said.
The intense familiarity intensifies the drama.
“We just played against Schaumburg, and I didn’t know a single player on their team and what they’re doing or what they’re going to bring to the game,” Fremd midfielder Jake Arbour said.
“With Palatine, because of Celtic, we know both of their forwards, their attacking midfielders and what they’re going to do through instinct and what they’re thinking.
“But it’s also vice versa. They know a lot of about us, and it makes everything that much harder. I’ve been playing Celtic since I was 10 years old, and the rivalry with Palatine is really intense and the added element of Celtic soccer just means we all need to bring our full intensity to the game.”
The difficult part, Fremd midfielder James Lefevre said, is deciphering the “players who are not Celtic. Fortunately the majority are, and it’s really nice that we know everybody, and it kind of dictates how we play each against each other.”
The Kinsella Cup is also a prime platform for Celtic that magnifies its connection to the community. The vast majority of the players from both schools began, as Kinsella and Hughes first envisioned it, as young kids and formed a strong emotional attachment to the game as they also learned the necessary fundamentals and skill development.
The game is a way to both honor that past but also look toward the future and welcome the next and emerging generation to Celtic — and eventually to the programs at Palatine and Fremd. At halftime, DeFranco said, members of the U8 team will experience what it feels like on the field.
For the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club, the Kinsella Cup is a moment of pride and giving back.
“The great thing, with so many players involved with Celtic, is that it’s not just one class, like the seniors, but multiple classes, and this is a great chance for our younger players to watch and have something to aspire toward,” Celtic technical director Brian Colicchia said.
“It’s a goal that can see so they can want to be a part of that in the future.”
For the next renewal Friday, Palatine (7-3-1, 4-3-0) is streaking at the right time. The Pirates beat Hersey 2-0 for their third-straight victory and play Hoffman Estates as a final tune-up. “We have improved drastically since the start of the season,” Obernesser said.
“At the start of the year, as usual, we played some of the toughest teams in the state and since then we have worked hard at figuring out roles and improving our chemistry and communication with everyone.”
Fremd (5-8-1, 3-3-1) is coming off a scoreless double overtime draw with Rolling Meadows. The Vikings have been competitive throughout the season, but creating consistent scoring chances and finishing have been a thorny issue.
“Last year our team was heavy on seniors, and this year we have a couple of returning players, a lot of sophomores and lot of juniors and we have been dealing with injuries,” Arbour said.
“This year we’re going to have to come out and really motivate the underclassmen,” he said.
The spirit of Jimmy Kinsella, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 83, will always be a part of the competition that bears his name.
“He’d be happy and thrilled that there is still all of this excitement and passion for the game,” his son said.
to the fore with Kinsella Cup
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE — Jimmy Kinsella arrived in Palatine from his native Glasgow, Scotland in 1953. At the age of 30, but had already encountered a lifetime of important experiences. He served with distinction in the Royal Air Force and incurred a serious left leg injury from shrapnel suffered in the Italian theater of World War II.
America was a foreign place, but it provided a vibrant connection to his past -- the deep and abiding love he carried for soccer and his cherished Glasgow Celtic program. In 1967, the Palatine Park District sought out Kinsella and fellow United Kingdom transplant and friend, Bill Hughes, of England, to form the first organized soccer instructional camps in the area.
In 1968, Kinsella and Hughes founded the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club.
By then Kinsella had assimilated into the American lifestyle. For work, he founded a house painting company that he named Scotty. Outside of his family, soccer remained his ruling passion, said his son, John Kinsella, now a DuPage County judge and 1974 Fremd graduate. In the analog era, he listened obsessively, even recording, the BBC radio broadcasts of Celtic games.
In the aftermath of the 1971 tragedy where more than 60 people were killed in a stairway trampling at the Old Firm crosstown rivalry match between Celtic and Rangers, Kinsella went on the popular Wally Phillips radio program on WGN and shared his recording.
All the while he worked with his Celtic club, but not necessarily as those who did not know him may have envisioned.
“The irony was because of his leg, he couldn’t really move that well, and Bill Hughes did most of the actual coaching,” Judge Kinsella said. He was an early variant of what is called today a super fan, his son said.
The elder Kinsella was also a strong advocate of the game who lobbied the athletic directors and administrators at Palatine and Fremd high schools to develop their own programs before the sport was officially sanctioned by the IHSA.
By the time the IHSA inaugurated the sport in 1972, Palatine was already ahead of the curve. The Pirates reached their first state quarterfinal appearance in 1977 and won the state title in 1994 and finished third in 1995.
Fremd won state titles in 1984 and 1997 and finished state runnerup in 1993. The program also captured state trophies in 1998, 2000, 2003, 2011 and a third place finish in Class 3A last year.
As a groundbreaking aficionado, Kinsella anticipated the game’s explosive popularity to come. As such his legacy in Palatine continues to thrive through the Celtic program. And it has made the rivalry between Palatine and Fremd high schools all the more exhilarating.
“It’s teammates against teammates, so that’s something we are not used to seeing,” Celtic club president Jennifer DeFranco said. “It’s great for the community.”
The next stage of the Kinsella Cup unfolds at 4:45 p.m. Friday when Fremd hosts Palatine in the renewal of the programs’ soccer clash. The Cup is challenged twice a year, in the fall with the boys’ programs and in the spring with the girls’ sides.
If Kinsella is the godfather of Palatine soccer, his strong identification with the local Celtic club only deepens the intrigue and backdrop of a game already suffused with personal meaning and a vested community interest.
“I’ve been playing for Celtic for nine years, and I’ve been playing with many of the guys on the Fremd team for most of those years,” Palatine midfielder Matthew Mayer said. “The game is not just about bragging rights, which is important, but it definitely raises your game and it makes you want to win it even more.”
Fremd won in overtime last year at Palatine. The depth of feeling registered on both sides.
“Even six months later in the spring we were still talking about the game we played,” Palatine defender Liam Obernesser said.
The Celtic connection presents a fascinating up-close analysis different from any other. The teams don't require introductions to each other, and scouting reports are intuitive and deeply informed.
“We definitely know how Fremd likes to play, in the open spaces and run on and play a more possessive style game that you have to get used to,” Obernesser said.
The intense familiarity intensifies the drama.
“We just played against Schaumburg, and I didn’t know a single player on their team and what they’re doing or what they’re going to bring to the game,” Fremd midfielder Jake Arbour said.
“With Palatine, because of Celtic, we know both of their forwards, their attacking midfielders and what they’re going to do through instinct and what they’re thinking.
“But it’s also vice versa. They know a lot of about us, and it makes everything that much harder. I’ve been playing Celtic since I was 10 years old, and the rivalry with Palatine is really intense and the added element of Celtic soccer just means we all need to bring our full intensity to the game.”
The difficult part, Fremd midfielder James Lefevre said, is deciphering the “players who are not Celtic. Fortunately the majority are, and it’s really nice that we know everybody, and it kind of dictates how we play each against each other.”
The Kinsella Cup is also a prime platform for Celtic that magnifies its connection to the community. The vast majority of the players from both schools began, as Kinsella and Hughes first envisioned it, as young kids and formed a strong emotional attachment to the game as they also learned the necessary fundamentals and skill development.
The game is a way to both honor that past but also look toward the future and welcome the next and emerging generation to Celtic — and eventually to the programs at Palatine and Fremd. At halftime, DeFranco said, members of the U8 team will experience what it feels like on the field.
For the Palatine Celtic Soccer Club, the Kinsella Cup is a moment of pride and giving back.
“The great thing, with so many players involved with Celtic, is that it’s not just one class, like the seniors, but multiple classes, and this is a great chance for our younger players to watch and have something to aspire toward,” Celtic technical director Brian Colicchia said.
“It’s a goal that can see so they can want to be a part of that in the future.”
For the next renewal Friday, Palatine (7-3-1, 4-3-0) is streaking at the right time. The Pirates beat Hersey 2-0 for their third-straight victory and play Hoffman Estates as a final tune-up. “We have improved drastically since the start of the season,” Obernesser said.
“At the start of the year, as usual, we played some of the toughest teams in the state and since then we have worked hard at figuring out roles and improving our chemistry and communication with everyone.”
Fremd (5-8-1, 3-3-1) is coming off a scoreless double overtime draw with Rolling Meadows. The Vikings have been competitive throughout the season, but creating consistent scoring chances and finishing have been a thorny issue.
“Last year our team was heavy on seniors, and this year we have a couple of returning players, a lot of sophomores and lot of juniors and we have been dealing with injuries,” Arbour said.
“This year we’re going to have to come out and really motivate the underclassmen,” he said.
The spirit of Jimmy Kinsella, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 83, will always be a part of the competition that bears his name.
“He’d be happy and thrilled that there is still all of this excitement and passion for the game,” his son said.