Wolves Soccer Club on Team Culture, Community and Faith | You're Beautiful with Brian Trust
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ALTON - On a recent episode of “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust, two coaches with the Wolves Soccer Club spoke about the club’s mission and their trust in God.
Travis Steward and Adam Sheppard coach the Wolves Soccer Club. The club started in January 2025 and has “just kept going and going and going,” Sheppard said. The team of 10- and 11-year-old boys has become a close-knit family.
“It’s amazing, these boys,” Steward said. “I think of them as my sons.”
While the club is based out of Bethalto, they have players from across the Riverbend region. They offer both an indoor and outdoor season throughout the year.
The coaches noted that their team works hard to succeed, but they also have a lot of fun. The kids enjoy playing soccer with each other, which is what the sport is all about. Steward and Sheppard encourage the boys to push during each game and practice, but they like seeing them enjoy it, too.
“They love playing with their friends,” Sheppard said. “We put pressure on them. We want them to win. We want them to try. But at the end of the day, they’re 10- and 11-year-olds. They want to hang out with their friends. So we focus heavily on that.”
Steward and Sheppard also support the players beyond the team. Steward noted that “10% of your life” is spent on the field, but the players have to focus on being good people off the field, too. The coaches work hard to teach the kids about kindness, sportsmanship, determination and other important values.
“One priority is to win, but it’s not the priority,” Sheppard explained. “I want these kids to grow up acting like that. The winning will come along with that. If they all get together and mesh and trust each other and just play and have fun, that’s when they play their best.”
For Steward, caring for these kids is personal. He and his wife had a difficult fertility journey before their son, Sam, was born. Steward points to 1 Samuel 1:27 — “I prayed for this boy, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him” — as a scripture that feels especially powerful. He will be forever grateful that God gave him his child, just as he is grateful for the boys he coaches.
As the Wolves Soccer Club continues their season this summer, Steward and Sheppard hope to remain a source of support and encouragement in the players’ lives. They expressed their appreciation for the kids and parents who round out the team, and they are excited to see what new heights the club reaches in the coming year. In the meantime, they will continue to care for the players like their own children and push them to succeed while having fun.
“I talk to them like they’re my own kids, treat them like they’re my own kids,” Sheppard added. “Once you’re a wolf, you’re always one.”
Watch or listen to “You’re Beautiful” with Brian Trust at 2 p.m. on Thursdays at RiverBender.com/Beautiful.
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