In 1987 he became a Colorado High School Activities Association Commissioner and the soccer liaison between CHSAA and the Colorado High School Soccer Coaches Association.  He served in that role until 1995.  Bill was also on the Board of Directors for National Federation of State High School Sports, serving as its President from 2003-2007.  He retired as the CHSAA Commissioner in 2010.

Imagine if you will being put in the position of trying to liaison between experienced soccer coaches who are traditionalists and an organization that has little knowledge of the sport, yet must oversee its play and championships.  A couple of Championship soccer coaches commented:  “He was willing to listen to the coaches and their input on improving the game.  Bill was very fair.”

“He had to be educated on the soccer committee.  He questioned things to get clarification on the history and problems.  Most of all he learned to trust the soccer coaches and with some balancing between the needs of both groups helped create a model for State Championship seeding that is still in play today and used by other sport’s as well.”

Under his advocacy within CHSAA the soccer seeding selection process, as we now know it was solidified.  Bill helped establish a better working relationship between the soccer officials, CHSAA, and the coaches.  He became somewhat of a traditionalist himself, perhaps hearing his English soccer playing grandfather’s whispers, by placing the State finals on the best, widest field possible.  One of the most significant improvements was the expansion from one State Championship to three so that schools with only 500 students were not competing against schools with over 2000.  Bill also oversaw an explosion of soccer popularity as it expanded to many Western slope schools.

Bill may be most proud of an intangible: the development of a great relationship, built on trust, education, and good communication, between high school soccer coaches, represented by the Colorado High School Soccer Coaches Association, who love the sport within the high school framework and the overseeing body, the Colorado High School Activities Association, that didn’t at first understand or trust the soccer coaches and their mission.

Colorado High School soccer is indebted to Mr. William “Bill” Reader for all he has done to help bring soccer to the forefront of high school sports and hereby awards him the 2012 Colorado High School Soccer Coaches Association’s Tracy Fifer Award for Long-term Achievement.

Thank you Bill for all you’ve done for us.