The Volcanic Eruption that led Quakes SPH Scott Forster to the U.s.

San Jose Spotlight

By San Jose Earthquakes

May 29^th, 2018

Volcanic Eruption

This story of Scott Forster, a Quakes Season Pass Holder and resident of Los Gatos, starts with an unlikely, and indeed random, event that ended up having a huge impact on his life.

Growing up in Newcastle, he used to think he would move to the U.S. one day. He watched the Super Bowl each year, which was incredibly uncommon for someone in the U.K., but he never imagined his move across the Atlantic would happen the way it did.

The year was 2010, and Forster, who has a PHD in medical imaging, was working in Germany for a medical device company. His job required a decent amount of travel, and he found himself between the U.S., the U.K. and his base in Germany.

In April of that year, he was in Los Angeles on a typical business trip. At the same time, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull decided it was time to shake things up, and started to erupt.

These two events seem unrelated, but in fact, the latter affected most people in Europe. The ash that spewed from the volcano caused travel delays across western and northern Europe, and Forster’s short trip to LA extended to three weeks.

The Volcanic Eruption that led Quakes SPH Scott Forster to the U.s.

Making the move

“One of the guys that I knew from the company introduced me to 10 of his friends on a night out and we went for sushi. Across the table from me, I met my wife. It’s so random. It’s so bizarre.”

She told him about her previous trip to Germany, and a disastrous attempt to cook vegetarian food in her hotel room, which resulted in the fire alarms going off and the portable stove thrown out the window.

“It turned out that that she was coming to Germany and was going to be just a 20 minute drive when where I was staying so I said ‘look, next time you’re in town, I’ll take you to some of the vegetarian restaurants.’ That was our first date.”

After dating transatlantic for a while, they got married and Forster relocated to the U.S., laid down his roots and became a U.S. citizen a couple of years ago.

“If there is ever a meeting that can be described as an act of God it is probably a volcano that stops you from getting on a plane and then you meet the woman you end up marrying.”

The volcanic eruption brought Forster to the U.S., where he found the Quakes and has been able to live his passion for soccer in his daily life.

Soccer has always been an important part of Forster’s life. He grew up going to Newcastle United matches with his family, and still has season tickets for the club that have been in his family since 1953. His nephews now use those tickets, although he gets to see a handful of matches each year.

One day he was watching the Champions League with a fellow Newcastle fan in the Bay Area, who suggested that they go to a Quakes game. They rushed to Buck Shaw in time for the kickoff.

“I stood on the bleachers with the Ultras. They danced and sang, and we had a few beers. It was an addictive reminder of the soccer culture I grew up with. That soccer bug definitely got me.”

He became a Quakes Season Pass Holder in 2015, and has embraced the culture at Quakes games.

“It’s wonderful seeing the diversity of the Quakes community. You go to an event and there’s food trucks, inflatables and kids having fun. There’s everybody from Krazy George right the way down to a new kid who is coming across the Quakes for the first time.”

Development

A few years ago, he decided to make soccer an even bigger part of his life by leaving his well-paying job at a medical device company to pursue coaching fulltime.

“They say the U.S. is the land of opportunity and I laughed at that when I first heard it, but it’s true. I came to the U.S. having coached in England with semiprofessional teams with some local experience. I built up my coaching badges, worked on my resume, volunteered at some clubs and over the years that I’ve been here I increased my role.”

He is now the Director of Coaching for the Liverpool FC International Academy, which is affiliated with the Premier League club. Two years ago he started their girls’ program with nine girls that were friends or the club. The program has now grown to include more than 140 girls that play competitively.

Five of the original nine girls were part of the team that won the premier level state cup final last fall.

“It was amazing to see the same girls go all the way from the bronze league where they started out in soccer, move up to 11v11 and all the way to the premier level too.

“I think sport in itself is a really wonderful motivator and brings people out of their shell. It gives them opportunities, especially in this country, which they might not have had. I am really passionate about making sure that I am giving more back to young people.”

Passion

That passion is facilitated by the Quakes.

“I was lucky enough to be at the youth development forum where the new general manager Jesse Fioranelli was talking. He is such a wonderful person. You can hear it in his passion, you can hear it in what he wants to do with the club. He had a wonderful manner and has a vision that he can communicate well. It was really interesting to hear what he wants to do in youth development.”

Forster’s passion for youth development stemmed from his own experiences in youth soccer, growing up playing and reaching the semiprofessional level with Ealing and Exeter.

He also has an eye for identifying talent. In the 90s he went to the FA Cup final and a Hungarian player called Zoltan Stieber caught his eye. Stieber went on to play for Aston Villa and then went to the Bundesliga. He now plays for D.C. United, and scored for them in the match on May 19 against the Quakes.

“It is super cool to see somebody that you pointed out as a 14, 15 year old to then go to make it all the way and get 25 caps for Hungary.”

While not every player will make it to the pros like Stieber, Forster isn’t in the business for that. He takes joy in spreading the love of soccer and getting paid in smiles per hour. His passion can flourish in Los Gatos, which is a town that is crazy about soccer.

“The bars will show premier league games. There’s a lot of fields and support here in the local community that helps young boys and girls with their ambitions. Even with the high property prices and lack of space and everything else, the fact they can make time for school and community fields is awesome.”

For the moments that he isn’t coaching or watching soccer, he can enjoy hiking with his wife and the many other activities that the Bay Area has to offer.

“It is wonderful to see the beach after driving 40 minutes away, or a couple of hours away to see snow and skiing and the redwood forests. My wife is a hill runner and long distance runner, so we spend time in Muir Woods. There is just so much around here that is just untouched you can just go and explore. It’s amazing.

“The things you can do in the Bay Area once you get out of the traffic is a wonderful thing.”

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