Trott Recognized Among NCFC Youth 50th Anniversary All-Star Commemorative Team

September 30, 2024

In celebration of North Carolina FC Youth’s 50th Anniversary, the organization is honoring an All-Star Commemorative Team made up of 50 players, coaches, teams, and contributors who have made a significant impact on the sport and the organization. Among those being recognized is Young Moore attorney, William M. Trott.

Billy has over four decades of experience practicing law with Young Moore, following his service in the Navy JAG Corps in Washington, D.C. His legal career has covered a wide range of areas, including litigation in state and federal courts, business advisory services, and legislative matters. In the latter half of his career, he has focused on employment and insurance law. Billy has advised clients on a broad spectrum of employment matters, including covenants not to compete, policy drafting, compliance issues, and employment practices liability insurance. He has also counseled on matters related to drug testing, privacy, discrimination, harassment, and wrongful discharge.

In the area of insurance law, Billy has advised insurance organizations, companies, agents, and others on coverage and regulatory issues, including compliance and hearings before the North Carolina Insurance Department.

Billy has also held leadership positions in ALFA International, where he served as a long-term representative, board member, and Treasurer. He holds an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized by Super Lawyers and other prestigious legal organizations.

Throughout his career, Bill has been actively involved in charitable organizations, particularly those emphasizing youth sports and environmental issues. He served on the Wake County Parks and Recreation Commission and later became its Chair. He lettered three times on ACC champion tennis teams, coached freshman/JV tennis teams while in law school, and has been state doubles champion in several age divisions. He was President of the North Carolina Tennis Association and the North Carolina Tennis Foundation. He served with the Southern Tennis Association and Foundation and with the United States Tennis Association. He was inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2017 and currently serves on the Board of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Learn more

See below to learn more about Billy’s direct impact on CASL, as featured on the NCFC website.

Transforming CASL: Billy Trott’s Volunteer Leadership

(As featured on the NCFC website)

Trott was Board President of CASL in 1985, but his involvement and volunteer contributions spanned for much of the 1980s. Like most others at the time, his involvement began because his kids wanted to play and were playing CASL soccer. At the time, CASL had one clerical employee and was entirely volunteer driven and led.

Trott admitted at the time he knew very little about soccer, but he was able to serve as a facilitator for some great decisions by others and gave credit to so many other volunteers and parents. During the early 80s, there were three problems the organization faced according to Trott: 1) no fields 2) no money and 3) no expertise in soccer. Trott found a way during his involvement to address all three of these and pave the way for growth.

While others who came before helped with the purchase and initial development of WRAL Soccer Park with support from Jim Goodmon and Capitol Broadcasting Company, there was room and need to develop more fields there. Trott led the effort and conversations that led to convincing Mr. Goodmon to forgive the remaining mortgage on WRAL Soccer Park ($300,000) because CASL was in the process of sufficiently finishing WRAL Soccer Center. For a club that had no money and no fields, this gesture freed up a huge amount of money the club had to pay every year and gave CASL the power to finance expansion in many ways. 

Trott and others fundraised through matching grants from Wake County Parks and Recreation and NC Legislature along with cash grants or in-kind donations from companies like Wake Stone Corporation, Data General, Burroughs Wellcome, Golden Corral, and others. They borrowed money from Wachovia (now Wells Fargo), and through all these efforts, they had enough funds to complete the second phase (expansion and upgrades) to WRAL Soccer Park and hire the first paid executive director, Roland Paiva, in 1988. This began a movement that opened the door for soccer experts with business acumen to lead and guide the future of CASL.

During Trott’s time, they brought the girls select league (competitive soccer) and boys select league (competitive) under the CASL operations. In addition, they started the Challenge league, which has continued to thrive as an intermediate experience for kids and parents, and developed an Adult League, which eventually spun off into what is now the independently run Triangle Adult Soccer League.

By “finishing” WRAL Soccer Park to the 21 fields it is today, the complex became a destination for not only league play but also tournaments including what is now the visitRaleigh.com Showcase Series, which consistently welcomes 1500 teams each year and generates more than $28 Million in economic impact each year. The tournament is a prime ground for college scouting and elite national competition.

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