BETHESDA SOCCER CLUB

25 Years of Soccer Excellence
1979-2004

Bethesda Soccer Club started as three teams in 1979, competing as the Bethesda Boys Club. Today, we have some 40 boys and girls’ teams from ages U-8 through U-19 that compete in various leagues in Maryland and Region I. The club is located in Montgomery County, Maryland, just northwest of Washington, D.C.

Bethesda teams have had a long history of success, from league play to tournaments to cups at the state, regional and national levels. Our teams compete in the USYSA Region I League, the National Capital Soccer League (NCSL) and the Washington Area Girls Soccer League (WAGS).  Our young teams play in the Olney-Bethesda Soccer League (OBSL), a developmental league that we co-run with the Olney Soccer Club.

Bethesda players have had success with their teams and beyond. Many of our players participate in ODP at the state and regional levels with a good number selected for the national team pool. Our kids have lead their high school teams and many have gone on to have successful collegiate careers. The Club philosophy is to develop our players so that they are prepared to compete at the next level.

Club alumni include former U.S. National Team player Bruce Murray; former Major League Soccer Player A.J. Wood, a standout with the University of Virginia championship sides; U.S. National Team player Joanna Lohman, repeat recipient of the NSCAA/adidas College Scholar Athlete of the Year Award as a player at Penn State University; and teenage phenom Freddy Adu of DC United.

The club is governed by an elected board of directors and officers. Its success though is due to the extraordinary contributions of volunteers, from team managers to tournament age group coordinators. Teams select qualified coaches approved by the board of directors. Decisions on recruitment and acceptance of players are made by each coach. The club does not rank teams within the same age group for the purpose of "promoting" stronger players or "demoting" weaker players.

GOAL POSTS

1979 – Pete Selwood, Dennis Flannery & Bill Kirvan start 3 boys teams competing under the Bethesda Boys Club
1980 – First BSC tournament held at Walter Johnson H.S. – 3 age groups are organized
1981 – BSC acquires charter and non-profit status
1980’s – Summer camps are run for BSC players
1990’s – A seven-a-side summer league run for high school players
1997 – BSC goes world-wide with its web site
1998 – Olney-Bethesda Soccer League created as a developmental league for U9 and U10 players
1999 – Referee training and development starts of BSC players for use in OBSL
2000 – BSC sweeps Maryland Cup in every girls age category
2001 – Nike becomes a club sponsor
2002 – The Fury win the National U19 Girls Championship
2003 – BSC has 1 national finalist, 2 Region I champions and 11 Maryland Cup champions
2003 – Soccer America magazine ranks BSC girls program as # 1 in the nation, boys program as # 20
2003 – BSC Thanksgiving Tournament draws 407 teams from 17 states and Canada – 175 men’s college coaches and 138 women’s college coaches in attendance
2004 – BSC has 3 Region I champions, 8 Maryland Cup champions, 12 teams make the finals and 14 make the semifinals
2004 – New web site designed incorporating team pages and player/coach profiles

PRESIDENTS OF THE BETHESDA SOCCER CLUB

1981-1983 – Peter Selwood
1984 – Jerry May
1984 – Keith Tabatznik
1985 – Bob Bryer
1986 – Fred Laughlin
1987 – Brad Roos
1988-1991 – Tom Fleisher
1992-1993 – Steve Watson
1994-1995 – Joe Rogers
1996-2000 – John Newman
2000-present – Linda Norton