OXFORD – Isuf Ceno moved to Canada from his native Albania 10 years ago. He came from a culture that lived and breathed soccer, and he described his love for soccer almost as if it was a religion. “Soccer is culture to us,” Ceno said, who moved to Norwich over a year ago.

Ceno found an Albanian community in Canada that regularly played indoor and outdoor soccer. When he moved south to the United States, the opportunities to play soccer were much more limited. He traveled throughout the Southern Tier to Oneonta, Sidney, Cortland, and Elmira among other places to find opportunities to play. His son, who also plays soccer, became involved in the youth soccer programs offered locally, and soon was a part of the Chenango Soccer Club. When Ceno discovered Emerson Fields in Oxford – who host CSC games – he knew he found a place in which he could continue to pursue his sports passion.

“My first year here, there was almost nothing,” Ceno said in summing up the amount of soccer he played. “Around here, this field (in Oxford) is definitely the best.”

The Chenango Soccer Club opened Emerson Fields for play in 2002, and for many years, barely stayed afloat financially. Most of the field maintenance was contracted out, and the Soccer Club needed to consistently run fundraisers, hold money-making tournaments, and seek funds from well-meaning benefactors to meet costs.

Julian Drelich, who now serves as the field coordinator, recently said that the field is now a self-sustaining entity. It helps that Drelich spends several hours each week mowing the six acres of land, and his wife, Sylvia, handles all of the concessions at soccer events. “We want to thank all of the people who helped establish this,” Julian Drelich said. “It was a lot of effort and a lot of money. The local supervisors and all of the local officials supported this field. (The field) is not going under and the payback is there. Club members take care of the facility, coaches volunteer...no one is paid, and we’re doing it for the community.”

Drelich’s involvement in the Chenango Soccer Club was in large part due to his son Evan’s participation in youth soccer. Evan Drelich has since graduated from high school – and college – yet the Drelich parents remained involved. The same story is true of club president Bob Nassar. All of Nassar’s children played soccer in Norwich, while also competing on the Chenango Soccer Club’s teams. Nassar’s youngest child is in her last year of soccer, yet Nassar remains involved, and isn’t planning to leave his post with the club.