The Board of Directors from both Old Bridge Girls Soccer League and Old Bridge Soccer League come to you with a long overdue and very exciting announcement.  As of the fall of 2023 season, only a few short months away, the two separate leagues will come together under one banner.  We are certain that you will have some questions regarding both the recreational and travel side of things, and what this means for your son or daughter. 

We will try to answer some of the anticipated questions, but please note at some point over the next few months we will host question and answer sessions for anyone interested. 

This is extremely exciting, and opens-up many, many opportunities for the families of Old Bridge and the surrounding areas.  The allure of a township club with such amazing potential and staggering numbers will bring interested players to our travel teams as well as continue to put these players on the path to play in high school and beyond, if they so choose.  Also, we will continue create a wonderful, fun and family friendly environment on the recreational side.  We can begin discussion regarding a possible tournament in Old Bridge, bringing clubs from the surrounding areas to enjoy our township and boost our economy, even if only on a small scale.

Please see below for some high level, overarching Q&A.  The newly formed board will be reviewing the current Old Bridge Girls Soccer League by-laws and will be recommending and voting on revisions to ensure a well-executed document, that fairly treats every player and every family, is ready for the fall of 2023.

Who will be on the Board of Directors?
Artie Zanfini, the current President of the Old Bridge Girls Soccer League will remain as President for the newly formed club, and all current board members will be offered a place on the newly formed Board of Directors.

How will this work and how will it work so quickly? 
As of June 30th, Old Bridge Soccer League (boys) will officially close its doors and all future registrations will be run through the current Old Bridge Girls Soccer League, ultimately forming the Old Bridge Soccer Club by the fall of 2023.  Travel registration will be open within the next week with recreational registration coming over the summer months. 

Who will administer the training for the Old Bridge Soccer Club?
On the girls side of things, Soccer Specific Training (SST) and Director of Coaching Will Gould and his staff will handle all travel training and game day coaching, as well as instructional sessions during girls recreational games, clinics and camps, and will also offer additional training for interested individuals registered for travel.

On the boys side, the Bulldogs training company and Director of Coaching Edgar Dinten and his staff will handle all travel training and game day coaching, as well as instructional sessions during boys recreational games, clinics and camps, and will also offer additional training for individuals registered for travel.

What changes will come to the travel program?
All current teams and their current trainer will be grandfathered in.  Upon a trainer change or upon formation of a new team, an SST trainer will be assigned to any girls travel team and a Bulldogs trainer will be assigned to any boys travel team.  To re-iterate, no changes will be made to current trainers and their affiliation unless decided by the current team manager.  All newly formed teams will be assigned an SST trainer (girls) or a Bulldogs trainer (boys).

Current girls travel teams that play out of OBSL (boys) with a Bulldogs trainer will also be grandfathered in and no changes will be made.

We will work towards a consistent uniform for all travel players as quickly as possible.

What changes will come to the recreational program?
No major changes are anticipated, there will be both all-girls teams and all-boys teams as, for the most part, it exists today.  Any current deviations to this policy will again be grandfathered in, and any future deviation from this policy will be subject to board approval.

There will be a mix of both all girls and all boys recreational games at both the Ticetown and Higgins complexes throughout the recreational season.  As noted, SST will have oversight of the training for the girls recreational programs with the Bulldogs Training Company having oversight of the training of the boys recreational programs.

Uniforms as of Fall 2023 will be consistent for both boys and girls recreational teams.

What about the Just4kixs program?
No changes at all to the Just4kixs program.  Events and games will still take place at the Higgins Road Complex.

That is all for now. We thank you and are very much excited to get this started with all of you, creating one of the best and forward-thinking township soccer clubs in New Jersey.  Please reach out to us with any pressing questions, and please keep an eye out for information as to the forthcoming question and answer sessions held by the Board of Directors.

The respective clubs would also like to thank the Old Bridge Township Parks and Recreation Department, specifically Matthew Mercurio, Director of Parks and Recreation and Lisa Valsera, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation.  We would also like to thank Mayor Owen Henry and his team, and the Old Bridge Township Council members. 

Without the support of Old Bridge Township, none of this would be possible.