UIS Athletics

Harold Christofilakos was one of the original dreamers of building a soccer complex at the university when he and Aydin Gonulsen approached then Vice President Chris Vlohopoulos with the vision of establishing soccer as the first team sport for the university. Excited about the idea, the Vice President promised these two visionaries that there would be a soccer program within a year.
 
As a charter member of the Friends of the Prairie Stars, he helped to purchase the land necessary and even installed pieces of the original sod field at Kiwanis Stadium.  As a successful local business owner, he worked endlessly to grow support of others in the community through his involvement with the YMCAA Youth Committee Board; coaching YMCA Youth Soccer teams for over 21 years and teams in the Springfield Area Soccer Association for over 10 years; serving as the first chairman of the Springfield Area Soccer Association (SASA) to get over 20 youth soccer fields on campus approved and operating; and garnered support for all these programs through his involvement in the Capitol Sertoma Club, the St. Anthony’s Greek Church Board, the Greek Men’s Club AHEPA and the Springfield Ethnic Festival. As a man of his word, he also was a home game sponsor for numerous years, assisting the athletic program financially and led the way for many other game sponsors.
 
Since 1968, as the owner of Amco Fence Company, he has been one of the key benefactors behind the scenes of the athletic program at SSU and UIS, providing fencing for the university athletic programs and the SASA fields.  His love for athletics guided him to develop Soccerworld in 1985 and now, with his son and former soccer alumni Peter, has expanded and built Spartan Sports Park.
 
To those in the Springfield business community, he is known as Mr. Christofilakos.  To those who have had the opportunity to work side by side with him, he is known as Harold.  To those who were involved in the athletic program at SSU and UIS, he is fondly known as “Zorba the Greek”.