
The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is New England Club Soccer League (NECSL) founder and league director Sean Carey.
The NECSL has an enormous presence in the region. There are more than 1,300 teams registered to play U-8 through U-15 this fall, and close to 2,000 teams from more than 60 clubs set to compete next spring, when the league adds older age groups. These numbers make the NECSL the largest youth soccer league that has existed in New England. The New England Premiership (NEP) ceased operations at the conclusion of the spring season, with many NEP clubs leaving to join the NECSL.
Carey, who is also an elementary school teacher, graduated from Transylvania University in 1992 after being a three-time NAIA All-American. He went on to play professional soccer until the age of 35. In July of 2011, he was hired as the League Director of the NEP, where he remained until May of 2020.
He says he founded the New England Club Soccer League with the goal of providing a more transparent and merit-based league platform for clubs to nurture and develop their players and teams.