Pete King

When Pete King arrived from England in 1962, soccer was not a popular sport in America. He found a small group of kindred spirits on the soccer field and joined the Riverside United Men’s soccer team. They were the only team in Riverside and traveled throughout Orange and LA counties to play. At the same time, Pete was instrumental in the growth of the American Youth Soccer Organization Region 47, which originally had only eight boy’s teams. Pete began coaching AYSO and soon became a member of the board serving as equipment manager. In the early years, Pete and his wife, Jackie, would take all of uniforms home at the end of the season to wash them and store them for the next season. In 1983, Pete and Jackie opened Pete King’s Soccer Shop, which was a haven for coaches, players, referees and friends who came to visit, catch up on the latest soccer news or watch English Premier League games on TV.

Pete was a visionary who saw the 57 acres of sandy river bed in the Northside as a green oasis for soccer. Pete and Mayor Ab Brown led an army of volunteers who worked to create 16 soccer fields in 1984. He helped in the development of the Riverside Women’s Soccer league and became the coach of the J.W. North Lady Huskies. In his 10 years as varsity coach, Pete led North to numerous League Championships, CIF playoffs and was named Coach of the Year several times. He helped establish the Riverside Adult Soccer league which by 2001 had 71 teams.

In 2006, AYSO Region 47 honored Pete and Jackie with the dedication of the “Pete and Jackie King Training Center.” Pete’s biggest contribution has been to help Riverside’s men, women and children develop a love for the game of soccer. Pete King passed away in 2009 and is missed by a grateful Riverside community.

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