THE SUN dips behind the Shelbyville Recreation Center, casting shadows across the baseball field, dotted with soccer players at H.V. Griffin Park. Marc Betzelberger leans forward, elbows on his knees, as his youngest son, Jonathan, kicks the ball with relentless determination. Every muscle in Marc’s body tenses as the ball whirls across the field to his teammate, who kicks it within a foot of the temporary goal.
Sitting beside Marc, another proud father claps and cheers in Spanish. They exchange a glance, then a nod. Words are unnecessary. In this moment, they’re not two fathers divided by language. They’re united by pride for their children, by team spirit, and a growing sense of kinship. When the ball arcs inside the goal moments later, their cheers meld into one.
According to online sources, soccer — also known across the world as football — is the most popular sport with an estimated fan base of 5 billion people. In February 2024, the Shelbyville City Council voted 6-0 to approve the application for a $5 million grant through the Division of Recreation Educational Services of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. This grant, which includes a 50% local match, will provide a soccer complex, as well as the construction of new streets, parking, drainage, and utilities. Families like the Betzelbergers will no longer need to borrow the baseball field to play soccer.
According to Marc, “Shelbyville is the 30th most populated city in Tennessee, but is the only one in the top 52 cities in the state that does not have a soccer complex. We are the 32nd largest county, and the only county in the top 50 counties in the state, without a soccer complex. So the need was really there for Shelbyville to build a complex.”
The Betzelbergers moved to Bedford County 23 years ago. For the last 18 years, Marc has worked for Palmer Food Service, and his wife, Megan, is a veterinarian at Northpoint. Megan first began exercising at the rec center while her children participated in an organized playtime called “Toddler Power Hour.” Over time, the family’s involvement expanded.
“The rec center has been a great part of our family. We’ve made good use of their programs. All four of our children have been on the swim team, and our boys played rec league soccer and basketball. Marc coachedcbasketball and rec league soccer. Our sons, Jacob and Benjamin, are lifeguards and referee soccer,” said Megan, who serves on the board of the Sharks swim team.
Though their weekly schedules overflow, Megan swims and participates in yoga several days per week.
Marc said, “My work schedule limits me from coaching, but I’ve served as the president of the rec center board for the last four years. Our community has increased in population, and the heart and soul of serving on this board was to welcome this expansion for new facilities.”
He continued, “I am excited to see Shelbyville step into a new era. Columbia has a $5 million complex that was paid for within two years. I love seeing all aspects of people come together to watch sporting events. Families with children aren’t afraid to spend money on their kids and to see them excel and be themselves on the field.”
H.V. Griffin Park includes 84 acres of sports fields, tennis courts, batting cages, a skate park, pavilions, playgrounds, a disc golf course, and an outdoor pool with a water slide. Inside the center, guests have access to a large gymnasium, heated swimming pools, classrooms, and event spaces. The master plan for the new center also includes five phases that will create a greenway system that will connect our com- munity to even greater possibilities. GN
For more information, go to www.shelbyvil-letn.org/departments/parksrecreationenter.
