Club History

The Berlin Youth Soccer Association (BYSA) was formed in 1984 for the purpose of offering organized recreational soccer to the youth of Berlin. At its inception, the league was open to children ages 8 through 14 with strictly in-town competition. As the popularity of the sport increased, so did the level of interest and the desire to become more competitive. With that came the formation of an Instructional Division which allowed children to enter the program at a younger age and a Travel Division that promoted competition among the local area towns for players up through high school age. Travel teams from Berlin have been very successful throughout the years (winning five state championships and appearing in many other state finals) and are recognized as a well established and well respected program.

BYSA was awarded the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association (CJSA) "Sportsmanship Award" for 1996 as the outstanding youth soccer program in Connecticut. Berlin was chosen from the nearly 100 programs in the state.

Volunteers Make It Happen

BYSA has nearly 125 adult volunteers who organize and run its programs. Our coaches, managers, referees and advisors donate a great deal of time and effort to offer a quality program. These volunteers meet year round to plan and carry out the necessary functions of the organization. BYSA supports many of their players by training them to become certified referees so they can help the program and earn money for college. With its strong membership, BYSA is the largest youth sports organization in the Town of Berlin.

Focus on Players

Our long-term goal is to continue to offer a program that is second to none and is highly regarded as the feeder program to our middle school and high school soccer programs. Everyone on the Berlin High Soccer teams has learned soccer in BYSA, with many of them being named All-State High School players over the years. Some have and others are still playing college soccer (some on soccer scholarships). In an effort to help former participants financially with college expenses, BYSA even offers scholarships to graduating seniors who have put in extra effort to support BYSA (playing, refereeing and coaching) and the community. Ultimately, those players who have gone through our program may someday return to Berlin with their families and participate in the program as part of a long family tradition. Some of them have already returned to coach Rec Teams, Travel Teams, and even the Boys & Girls High School Soccer teams!