not going anywhere

Most of you won't know where Berryville FC came from, or even care. However, history is essential. We started as a pickup soccer team, created by Michael, in and around Berryville, Winchester, and Front Royal, Virginia. The idea was to provide a place for anyone who wanted to play soccer, and hopefully create a team. We had great success with this and found many players in our area were eager to participate and be part of something.

The decision was then made to create a team, and one of the dreams was to play in the UPSL league. As you can imagine, moving from pickup soccer to a structured team that practices and plays together each week was a big leap. To assist us in realizing our dream of playing in UPSL, Berryville FC partnered with North Stars SC to create North Stars Berryville. This partnership set the stage for some of the Berryville FC players to compete in leagues such as VSSL, APL, WPL, and the UPSL.

The Berryville FC team's story officially began at that point. Liam joined the team and was tasked with managing the paperwork and organization of Berryville FC, specifically as a Non-profit (501c3), and organizing things to the best of his ability. The next few months were spent working closely with North Stars, incorporating some Berryville FC players into the UPSL games.

At this point, a decision was made to formalize Berryville FC as an independent team and explore becoming its own club and team, while using the name North Stars Berryville.

All of you who have done this know that this is the most challenging task ever: finding coaches and players, getting them committed, and integrating them into the team. Those first few months were tough, as we wouldn't have many players show up; then the number increased by a few more each time. We then played a game of trying to find players to come and play in our games, as we attempted to convince them to stay with us.

Luckily, we had a core set of players who also strongly believed in the club's vision and mission. The goal is to create something that will endure for a long time and provide a pathway for players to advance and become semi-professional soccer players, and beyond. Over the next few months, as we participated in FXA, APL, and WPL, we worked diligently to recruit players and coaches to join the team. It worked, and we got Coach Sean, Coach Matt, and, for a while, Coach Jason, all bringing a wealth of experience to the team.

Skip forward to last season. After a not-so-great APL season, we entered the UPSL D1 as North Stars Berryville II with a team that indeed practiced and played together. We thought we were almost there, but then school started back, and we lost several key players, so we had to start recruiting again. We knew what this was like, having experienced it for the past few months, so we returned to recruiting players and exploring what we could do. It was time to start posting on social media and solidify some of the administrative aspects. After that season, it became time and a want to use our own team name, Berryville FC, instead of North Stars Berryville.

We discussed it and decided that we needed another season in UPSL D1 to make sure we were ready for anything else. However, that decision changed due to various factors, and we officially separated from North Stars SC, becoming Berryville FC, and entered the UPSL Premier. I am grateful for those early days working with North Stars SC, where we saw firsthand how the various leagues operate, teams play, what the level of play was like, and what we needed to do to get to that level.

That brings us to where we are today. Last night's practice (August 26, 2025) had forty players on the field, a significant increase from the early pickup days. We practice three times a week, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 9 PM to 10:30 PM, with anywhere from 20 to 40 players each time. In September, we will be on the same days, but our hours will be from 9 PM to 11 PM.

Are we where we should be? Not quite.

We have had some bad games, and yes, we will forever learn from those mistakes we made and train even harder.

You are probably all aware of our last game (8/23), where we were outplayed by the top team and lost really badly. You know what, that's okay. We pick ourselves up, learn from the experience, and return to practice to address the issue and try again.

As a club and team, we are not about quitting, though that is easy to do. We know it is hard for both players and coaches to be on a team that gets beaten. However, it demonstrates a greater commitment and understanding of the players and coaches who remain with the team, even in the face of losses. Many of you have suggested that we should quit the league, close the club and team, or play in lower leagues. Perhaps you're right, maybe you're wrong, but I can promise you this: WE ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

If you are looking for a team that is just getting started, seeking to grow beyond its current level, and one that looks after and values its players, then Berryville FC is the place for you.

Register for a tryout here: https://bit.ly/BVFC-Soccer-Tryouts

I have said it before, and I say it now: We practice as a TEAM, we play as a TEAM, we win or lose as a TEAM, and we are a TEAM. We are united in our vision for the club and team.