We are a youth soccer club serving predominately the community in the city of Berkeley. Mersey Soccer Club utilizes a professional staff of international coaches under the direction of former Olympic Development Coach Bill O'Donnell and fields teams for both boys and girls from the under-6 through under-16 age groups. Feel free to visit our site to learn more.
Come be a part of the Mersey Experience and learn what the Golden Vision is all about!
Along a 40 mile stretch of the River Mersey, England, lie the homes of four of the English Premiere League’s top soccer programs; Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United. During the 1960’s, Alex Young played for Everton, across the river from Liverpool FC. The Everton FC website writes:
“He stroked the ball, rather than kicked it. He glided across even the heaviest of surfaces, shimmying and tricking his way past clogging defenders before effortlessly floating shots past baffled goalkeepers.”
For his remarkable ability to move with the ball and find the back of the net, Alex Young earned the nickname The Golden Vision. It is from this hotbed of English soccer that the Mersey Soccer Club derives its name and desire to produce players that have that Golden Vision.
The Mersey Soccer Club was founded in 1985. A group of South Berkeley parents had their6 and 7 tear old boys kids in the local neighborhood team. They decided on to explore a different model to the conventinal parent volunteer model scatterbush teaching used at other youth club to this endsought out someone with a professional background. Led by Julie Natchwey they contacted BillO'Donnell lately of Liverpool England who was fresh after immigrating from the Liverpool Liverpool High school where he had been the head of the Physical education department. Two years after their first meeting in 1985 Bill and Julie founded the Mersey Soccer Club.Bill took the role of head of coaching and in that capacity has formed teams that have come to enjoy respect throughout for the last Thirty years. The club took its name from the River Mersey.
Since its inception, Mersey Soccer Club has used King Field on Hopkins St. in Berkeley as its center of operations. Most practices are held there and it is the home field for the older aged teams on game day. As a small club, Mersey is able to have most of it’s teams practice at King Field, fostering a sense of unity throughout the club because the various teams see each other often. For all but the Under 6 age group, practices are held twice a week and run from an hour to an hour and a half with games played on the weekends. The U-6 age group practices once a week plus a game on Saturday.
The Mersey Soccer Club Mission is to offer a positive and vibrant soccer program to Berkeley area boys and girls. It is our goal to remain strong and provide our players with a glowing soccer experience through outstanding coaching.
The Mersey Soccer Club is affiliated with California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA) and SAY Soccer.