About madison 56ers

A group of soccer enthusiasts living in Madison, but each having to travel to Milwaukee to play, was tired of only seeing their team on game day. They decided to form a local team called the Madison Soccer Club 1956, and entered the men’s State First Division on Labor Day 1956. The team finished second and won their first state championship in 1958. The team remained the only soccer organization in the region for eight years, and it was not until winter of 1970 that a soccer league was formed in the Madison area.

The idea of inviting foreign teams to Madison for an exhibition game was first introduced in 1970. Through the dedication and hard work of Klaus Feller and others, Madison Soccer Club 1956 was able to present Madison with an opportunity to see a level of soccer not available here at that time. Most of the foreign teams had several ex-professionals on the rosters, which always provided a good demonstration of ball skill and smart play. The games represented a working vacation for the traveling squad and a chance to see the United States. Over the course of the decade, we hosted 12 teams from West Germany and Holland.

The 56ers Women’s team was formed in 1974. At that time only one other women’s team existed in Madison, but by 1979 a six-team league was formed in Madison. Women’s soccer was gaining popularity! The team competed with success across the Midwest winning the Women’s Open Cup multiple times.

Many of the early members of Madison Soccer Club 1956 were instrumental in establishing youth, high school, and collegiate soccer in Madison. In 1964, Dr. Bill Reddan formed the first soccer club at University of Wisconsin. Klaus Feller, in collaboration with Jack Heiden and Bill Reddan, founded the Madison Area Youth Soccer Association in 1966. And in 1970, 56ers President Ronald Holzhueter, a teacher at Madison Memorial High School, started the Madison 4-Lakes High School Soccer Program which later led to varsity high school soccer in Madison.

Originally established as the Madison Soccer Club 1956, over the years the club had become known more by its birthday, “The 56ers,” than by its official name. So, in 1985, when the Club was legally incorporated, the official name of the club became the Madison 56ers Soccer Club.