History

Fun is our Goal - For Over 30 Years

NYSL was founded in 1973 as Lawrence Soccer Club, Inc. and started with around 100 players. It was founded as a recreational soccer league to introduced soccer to Lawrence community youth. Lawrence Park provided the home fields for the newly formed league. The Lawrence Optimists and Ben Franklin Dime Store were NYSL's original backers. Prior to the founding of NYSL, players interested in soccer were playing at Ransburg YMCA or in Washington township at the Jewish Community Center. NYSL originally played on the old football fields and at Belzer High School [now a middle school]. The sign ups were held outside at the old shelter by the football fields. Parking was where the fields are now. Prior to the expansion of Lawrence Park, NYSL played on what is now the southern and eastern sections of the Lawrence Soccer Complex.

Shortly after the league was founded in the 1970's a travel component of the league was formed named the Lasers. The Lasers evolved into the Saints who grew into a large travel club with nearly 20 individual teams. However, the Saints dwindled over time as they lost individual teams to other travel clubs including Indy United, Indianapolis Soccer Academy, Indy Revolution, and Lawrence Soccer Academy. Recent efforts have successfully reunited all of the spin-off clubs, with the exception of Indy Revolution, under the new club name of FC Pride.

Over the years, NYSL has continued to grow, and reached an all time high of 1205 players in the Fall 1999 season. Today there are between 700 and 1000 players in any season at NYSL.

Lawrence Park has evolved as well, becoming a premier soccer complex. It has grown from nine (9) fields to twenty one (21) at the present time. This expansion was necessary and was completed so that the Park could hold the Region II Finals in June of 2000. During this major renovation, two seasons of training and games were held offsite (Fall 1999 and Spring 2000). For NYSL, this meant a temporarily relocation to the grass airstrip on the property of Best Access, located in the southwest corner of Binford Boulevard (Old SR 37) and 75th Street. Today, NYSL conducts practices and games primarily on the northern fields of the Lawrence Soccer Complex (Fields 15 through 21) as well as Fields 13 & 14 in the South.

For over 30 years NYSL has had the pleasure of introducing the youth of Lawrence and Indianapolis to the game of soccer in an atmosphere where fun is the goal, and everyone gets to take part in the game. It is our hope that we will continue this mission for many years to come.