Fifteen years ago, when my family and I moved to the US, the demands on my time were different. As things have settled down and progressed over the past seven years, working for myself, I enjoy attending concerts, meetings, and various activities for my kids. I have also had the opportunity to coach my son’s soccer team for the past few years, which I enjoy. About a year ago, I was asked to help set up and structure an adult soccer club called Berryville FC. What was intended to be brief assistance and help has evolved into a year-long, extensive project that I have come to enjoy. Now I manage most of the day-to-day operations of the club, which has transitioned from a few soccer players to ending our last season with almost forty players on the team, running three practices a week with three great coaches. The team strives to be self-sustaining, primarily through player dues, with the leadership covering the costs until the team can recoup the money in the future.
We are at a crossroads now, having just concluded our season in the United Premier Soccer League’s Division 1, and we are about to begin playing in the Premier League for this season. As you can imagine, our costs have increased, and the workload has become significantly busier than usual. Additionally, we are actively recruiting women soccer players to create a team equivalent to our men’s semi-pro soccer team. We want a Berryville FC Women’s Semi-Pro team. We are also starting to ramp up a Youth Academy process that will give us further reach and provide opportunities for youth players to progress from youth leagues into semi-professional leagues and beyond. We are still a long way from where we want to be, but we are making progress.
Berryville FC, as a club, is about community. All of our players live in the local surrounding areas. That is part of why we do this: to provide an avenue for local soccer players, from youth to adults, who live in our area, to participate in leagues that they would typically have to travel over an hour to be a part of, for practices and games. We practice locally in Winchester. We utilize local businesses to assist with tasks such as printing shirts, etc. We’re committed to the local community we’re in, and we focus on the long-term vision of being around for a long time.
So what is the ask? We are currently seeking sponsors and donations. We want to provide practices, scrimmages, games, and equipment for everyone who wishes to be part of Berryville FC.
If you’re interested in discussing sponsorship opportunities, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
If you wish to make a donation, please use this form.
As a 501 (c) (3) organization, you’ll receive a tax receipt for your contribution to the club.
If you want to donate time or equipment, reach out too.
We need you and the friends of our community to help us achieve the vision for the future.
I thank you upfront, and on behalf of all the members of Berryville FC, for anything you can do to help us continue to realize our vision.
UPDATE: I realized that for some of you, it may not be clear what this means in terms of league structure and our standing in US Soccer. Here is the pyramid of soccer leagues. As you can see, with us being in the UPSL Premier, we are in the amateur category, with professional being the ultimate goal to aim for.
