Council Supports Renaming Soccer Field After the Late Billy Baker

Billy Baker was a native Bostonian who was born and raised in South Boston. He owned several businesses and is most known in the neighborhood for bringing soccer to the youth of South Boston. In 1984, Billy gathered a group of parents to work with the Parks and Recreation Department to create a youth soccer league for South Boston. He successfully established the South Boston Youth Soccer League in 1985, whose mission is dedicated to the ongoing development of youth soccer players in an inclusive, safe, affordable and fun environment.

Billy led and served as the South Boston Youth Soccer League President for 35 years until 2020. For over three and a half decades, he worked tirelessly to make the soccer league affordable for every child, soliciting funds from community businesses, merchants, and government officials to purchase jerseys, trophies and year-end gifts. He made sure all children had a pair of shin guards, and that families who could not afford the $35 league registration fee or those who registered late were never turned away.

At its peak, South Boston Youth Soccer registered nearly 1,300 players per season from ages 3-18 years old. Each season began with an Opening Day Parade of Athletes around the track and field at Saunder Stadium, led by an Honor Guard, where the players would proudly march with teammates and signs representing team mascots. Over the years, these events included many dignitaries, including mayors, senators, other elected officials and professional athletes, but Billy’s focus always remained on the players of the South Boston Youth Soccer League.

With little fanfare, and well after his own children had grown up, Billy Baker remained the one constant presence of the South Boston Youth Soccer League. Throughout his life, he consistently devoted his time and efforts at a moment’s notice to ensure that children from the neighborhood had the opportunity to participate.

The success of the league today is a testament to Billy’s unwavering dedication to bringing soccer to the youth of South Boston and their families. The Council adopted a resolution supporting the renaming of the soccer field within Saunders Stadium to the Billy Baker Soccer Field.