Cape Coral bar owner says soccer helped save his life

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK) - For Andrew Gray, soccer has never been just a game. The Cape Coral resident and owner of Rack’em Billiards has spent nearly 50 years playing, watching and living the sport. The walls of his business are lined with World Cup tickets, team photos and soccer memorabilia collected over decades. Each item tells a story.

“At first glance, Rack’em looks like a bar,” Gray said. “But I’m not a sports bar. I’m a soccer bar.”

Gray moved to Cape Coral in the 1970s and joined the Cape Coral Soccer Association shortly after arriving. What started as a childhood activity quickly became something much bigger.

“Soccer was our life,” Gray said.

Over the years, the game gave him lifelong friendships and opportunities to travel the world. He attended World Cup matches in the United States and Qatar and has watched some of the sport’s biggest stars compete on the world stage.

Gray says soccer’s impact on his life goes far beyond the memories and trophies.

“I hate to say I wouldn’t exist, but my life has gone to the edge several times and soccer pulled me back,” Gray said.

When life became overwhelming, Gray says he often found comfort on a soccer field with nothing more than a ball and time to think.

“My heart would ease, my mind would ease down, and my soul would be back again,” he said.

That connection remains just as strong today. Even after 30 years of owning Rack’em, Gray still plays in adult leagues and follows the sport whenever he can.

As the world turns its attention to soccer with the World Cup returning to North America, Gray is preparing to welcome fans into his Cape Coral business for watch parties and match-day gatherings.

He hopes others can experience the same sense of community and connection that soccer brought to him.

“People come in here for family. They come in here for congregation,” Gray said.

For Gray, every photo on the wall and every match on the television serves as a reminder of the sport that helped shape his life.

“If I have anything to thank,” Gray said, “it would be soccer… including my life.”