Full Family History

Our paternal grandparents, Peter Noel and Mary Wiener, were born in 1909 and emigrated from the Banat Region of Eastern Europe to the United States.  The Banat region, composed of what is now Romania, Hungary and Serbia, was home to a large number of ethnic Germans at that time.  Peter was born in the United States, however, shortly after his birth, he and his mother returned to her hometown of Bogarosch.  Mary was born in the small town of Andreas, located in what is now Romania.  Despite spending her youth in a town just miles away from Peter, they would never meet each other until after they reached the United States.  They both immigrated to the United States in 1925.  After passing through Ellis Island, they both settled in North Philadelphia and met shortly thereafter.  Unable to speak a word of English, they sought to quickly assimilate into American culture.  At the time of their arrival, a large number of German-American immigrants in the Philadelphia area had settled in North Philadelphia.  Immigrants from the Banat region centered their lives around St. Peter’s Catholic Church and the Banater Maennerchor club   The Banater Maennerchor club, founded in 1910, was a social club for German and Hungarian speaking immigrants, most of whom came from the Banat region.  Initially housed in a two-story building, the club held weekly dances, hosted a bowling league, and provided newly-arrived immigrants with job opportunities, a social circle, and an overall sense of community in a new land.  Their church and their club provided them an escape from the hardships they faced as new immigrants.  It was at one of these weekly dances that Peter and Mary met each other and started their relationship. The club would later become known as the United German Hungarian Club of Philadelphia and Vicinity (“UGH”) and would eventually relocate to Oakford, Pennsylvania. The UGH Club is still an active social organization. Since its founding, the club has enjoyed continued success in soccer at the local and national level, and is also home to an internationally recognized dance group.

   Peter and Mary married in 1927 and had two children.  Mathias was born in 1928 and Michael was born shortly thereafter in 1929.   As their young family and the rest of our country dealt with the Great Depression, Peter and Mary remained active in their community.  After struggling to gain meaningful employment like many other Americans, Peter started a job as a carpenter in 1933.  The new job not only provided a stable income and economic mobility, it allowed Peter and Mary to continue their involvement in their beloved club.  In 1935, Peter was named as manager of the men’s soccer team of the UGH Club. They played in the North Philadelphia Soccer League, matched against other ethnic-centered teams comprised of recent immigrants from Germany, Ukraine, Italy, and other countries. In 1937, they won the league championship, a first for the UGH Club.  Despite the success of the men’s team, Peter and several other members of the UGH club believed that expanding the game to include children was vital to the growth of soccer in this country.  Building off of their success at the men’s level, Peter and several other members of the UGH Club decided in 1938 to form a youth soccer team.  Initially their idea was met with skepticism, but through persistence Peter and his allies were able to convince club members to open the ranks to children.  Soon thereafter, in February 1939, the club officially launched the first youth team in its history   – the Junior Section.  The team was initially comprised of five boys between the ages of eight and twelve.  Mat and Mike were two of the first members of the team.  As more children were attracted to the game, the team grew in size and they were able to play against other youth teams in the area.  By 1940, the youth program had grown to a point that allowed the club to create two youth teams separated by age groups – the Chicos and the Midgets.  Peter was named manager of the Chicos, and Mat and Mike were two of his first players.   Similar to the men’s teams at the time, the Chicos played against other ethnic-centered clubs and organizations throughout the Philadelphia area.  Within a short time, the UGH Chicos became one of the premier boys’ soccer teams in the Philadelphia area. Today, the German Hungarian Club has a proud history of fielding youth soccer teams from 1938 to 2018.

   Over the years, Peter and Mary continued their involvement in the UGH Club. The members of the club were like a second family to Peter and Mary. They were passionate about the club, the game of soccer, and their commitment to fellow immigrants and club members, and to America as a whole. Their commitment and dedication to the club were recognized by its members when they awarded Peter with the UGH Club lifetime achievement award in 1999.  Peter and Mary were married for seventy-four years, both passing away in 2001.

   As the UGH Club soccer teams grew more successful, Mat and Mike continued their success elsewhere.  In 1942, amidst a world at war, Mat was thrust into a starting role as a freshman on the Northeast Catholic High School soccer team after several senior players left school to fight in the war.  Mat would go on to start every game for the school’s team over the course of four years.  His brother Mike joined him one year later in 1943, and also went on to play all four years at the school.  While playing soccer for their high school team, they also played on weekends for the UGH Club.  Just young teenagers, they were selected to play for the men’s team after many of the senior players had joined the war effort.  After graduating from North Catholic their lives took different directions.  Within a few years of graduation, Mat received an invitation to try out for the 1950 US Men’s Olympic team. Although he did not make the team, it was an experience he treasured his entire life.  In 1950, Mat married Marie and they welcomed their first child Michael soon thereafter.  Mike was drafted into the United States Army in 1951.  Mike would spend the next few years stationed in Europe.  While Mike was serving in the Army, Mat began working for Sears, Roebuck & Co., and would go on to spend his entire career there.  He continued to play soccer on the weekends for UGH in the Philadelphia Soccer League.  During his time playing in this league, he was selected to play in two international friendly matches that were in held in Philadelphia.  Two professional teams from Germany – Hamburg SV and the Stuttgart Kickers – each played a match against a team comprised of some of the best amateur soccer players in the Philadelphia area. Shortly thereafter Mat left the UGH Club and played several seasons for the Phoenix Sport Club.  Unfortunately, Mat’s playing career was soon cut short by a medical ailment that required a life-saving operation.  When Mike returned from the military, he was married to Madeline and retired from playing soccer.

   It was around this time that Mat and Mike started their coaching careers.  Their first stop was the Phoenix Sport Club, where they coached the men’s major division team.  With Mike at his side, Mat guided the team against the rest of the United League of Pennsylvania.  While coaching the men at Phoenix, Mat was again selected to participate in two international friendly matches, this time as a coach.  In 1957, Mat coached a team of amateur all-stars from Philadelphia against FC Kaiserslautern.  One year later, he coached another all-star team against Kickers Offenbach.  At the time, both of these teams were considered among the best in what was then West Germany.

   Three years later, Mat and Mike decided to take a different direction in their coaching careers and dedicate their experience and expertise to teaching and coaching the game of soccer to youth players. In 1961 both brothers moved into the Oxford Circle section of Northeast Philadelphia.  At the time, the neighborhood athletic organization was called Summerdale Boys Club, and their youth sports program was comprised of baseball, basketball and football teams only.  In 1962, against heavy opposition from the club’s Board of Directors, the two brothers convinced the club to create a boy’s soccer team.  Their first team in 1962 would be made up of neighborhood boys between the ages of 11-13, many of whom had never played soccer before.  In just two years, with Mike in charge, their team captured Summerdale’s first Inter-County Soccer League Title.  Mat and Mike would continue to coach various teams until the boys were old enough to play in men’s leagues. Their success culminated in the 1968 Philadelphia High School City Championship soccer game between Cardinal Dougherty High School and Frankford High School, where 13 of the 22 starting players for both teams were members of Mat and Mike’s first Summerdale Boy’s Club team.  Eventually Mat and Mike expanded the soccer program at Summerdale to include both boy’s and girl’s teams in various age groups.  The brothers continued to coach different teams at the club.

  In 1978, with most of the boys from their original Summerdale Boy’s Club still playing competitive soccer in several amateur leagues in the Philadelphia area, the Noel brothers decided to start a men’s team.  With the financial support of the Frontenac Bar, a popular hangout in their neighborhood, Summerdale soon had a men’s team competing in the Inter-County Soccer League Second Division.  .  Within a short period of time the Summerdale men’s team won the second division championship and were promoted to the first division.  Within three years the Summerdale men’s team would win the first division championship of the Inter-County Soccer League. In 1985, both Mat and Mike left Summerdale Boy’s Club.  Shortly thereafter, Mat was hired as an Assistant Coach for the varsity soccer team at LaSalle College High School, an all-boys Catholic high school just outside of Philadelphia.  Mat would go on to coach for 13 years at the school, winning the school’s first ever Philadelphia Catholic League championship in 1993 and repeating in 1994.  As Mat’s coaching career ended, Mat and Mike would often be seen at different high school soccer games throughout the area.  Mat would later be inducted into the South Eastern Pennsylvania Soccer Hall of Fame and the North Catholic Soccer Hall of Fame.

   The legacy of Peter, Mat and Mike has continued through future generations of the Noel family.  Mat’s son Michael was a member of the Cardinal Dougherty Boys’ Soccer team from 1965-1968. His team won the 1968 Philadelphia Catholic League Championship, and was responsible for ending a record-long 122 game win streak held by Northeast Catholic High School, the alma mater of both Mat and Mike.  In 1967 Michael was selected to play for an all-star team in several games against Brazil’s Copa Cabana Rio de Janiero Junior Team that toured the United States that summer. Mike’s son Michael Kevin played soccer at Father Judge High School, while his other sons Val and James played soccer for Cardinal Dougherty High School.  They would also later go on to play for different club soccer teams throughout the area.  Mat’s granddaughter Bridget Williams was a four-year starter at Archbishop Ryan High School, and is a member of the school’s sports hall of fame.  Mike’s grandson Alex Noel was a four-year starter at Immaculata University, and holds several school records.  Alex is currently an assistant coach for the Arcadia University Men’s Soccer Team.   Nearly every child in the family has played soccer for their respective schools or clubs, continuing the Noel love of the game and family legacy.