Tewksbury Youth Soccer: A Tradition of Excellence

Thirty-two years after its founding, the Tewksbury Youth Soccer League (TYSL) continues to grow and expand in response to the sport's increasing popularity.

The program has a long tradition, serving more than 1,400 players each year, and recently created new Under-4 and Under-5 divisions thanks to Kelley Dunham, Lisa Ippolito and motivated volunteer coordinators.

These new divisions consist of more than 145 players. TYSL has also expanded from six travel teams in 2006 to a staggering 29 teams in spring 2009.

"The people who deserve the credit for these (U4 and U5) programs are our present U5 Director Kelley Dunham and our Registrar Lisa Ippolito," said Fundraising Coordinator Andrea Regina. Regina is new to the Board of Directors as of July 2010, but already has fundraising initiatives in the works for the upcoming fall season.

Past fundraising efforts have included comedy nights, and an annual car wash and Red Sox raffle held each July. The money raised at such events goes toward banquets at the end of each season, warm-up discounts, and the creation of new teams and leagues.

Volunteers have made much of the fundraising possible in the past, and this year is no different with a board comprising of 14 volunteer directors, and one volunteer coordinator.

Tewksbury is part of US Youth Soccer TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer), directed by Debera Brown. This program is organized solely by Youth Soccer Association volunteers and parents, and is designed to give young athletes with mental and physical disabilities, ages 4-19, the opportunity to play soccer.

The community has positively responded to the TOPS program in Tewksbury, and last spring the TOPS League included 725 players and 64 teams.

Another milestone for the TYLS was the chance to host its third annual Mass Cup Soccer Tournament this summer at the Frasca Fields Soccer Complex, located at 295 North St. The town also hosted the Middlesex Youth Soccer League's Commissioner Cup Tournament for the first time last spring.

Tewksbury youth teams represented their town well in the 2010 Mass Cup, and were especially dominant in the girls U12 open division. The Tewksbury Lady Redmen walked away with the U12 Championship title, and the Tewksbury Running Reds earned U12 runner-up recognition. The Tewksbury Titans also came away with a runner-up title in the girls U10 open division.

The Mass Cup isn't the only place Tewksbury teams have been successful lately. The Division I U14 Tewksbury girls travel team became 2010 State Champions in June after competing in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions, an elite tournament comprised of only league champions. Tewksbury defeated Dartmouth, 2-1, in overtime and penalty kicks to come away with the 2010 State title.