Throughout his lifetime Fred was an avid soccer enthusiast. However, when he arrived in the United States soccer was not yet very popular. So Fred and two friends - Alan Eastwood and Gil Leiter - began sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm for the game with their fellow Minnesota residents and eventually, in 1974, developed a youth soccer program in Maplewood, MN. Then, in 1977, the three formed the Northeast Soccer Association. The youth program rapidly gained in popularity from 17 participants in 1974 to more than 1,700 when Fred moved away from the area in 1985. The program now serves more than 2,000 youth players. See http://www.nesasoccer.org/clubinfo.html In tribute to Fred’s accomplishments and contributions, the City of Maplewood Minnesota renamed one of its first fields Fred Abbott Field on October 9, 1999. Naturally, Fred helped develop the program so that his children, as well has others in the area, would be able to enjoy the sport. Fittingly, his oldest son, Mark, went on to be a co-founder of Major League Soccer (MLS) and currently serves as the President of MLS. Throughout his childhood Fred was a fan of his home town professional soccer (football) team, the Burnley F.C. Clarets. In the year before his passing, the Clarets were promoted into the prestigious English Premier League (EPL). This achievement meant that some games would be televised, so that Fred could once again watch and cheer on his hometown team from half a world away. In what was certainly a highlight of his life, Fred had the privilege of meeting the coaches and players of the Burnley squad in Southern California (see gallery photo) where they had come to train in preparation for the entry into the EPL.