Our History
Keystone Athletic evolved out of two storied youth soccer clubs—Stroudsburg United and Pocono Mountain Youth Soccer Association—doing what’s best for their soccer community: Provide multiple environments for players of various skill levels and interests to learn and have fun. With over 46 years of experience the two organizations will build on this expertise to bring the sport to new levels for community enjoyment.
Stroudsburg United (Founded 1990)
The Stroudsburg United Soccer Club (SUSC) was founded in the summer of 1990 by a group of seven men. The inspiration for the club originated in part because of the success of previous teams playing unaffiliated in the Lehigh Valley Youth Soccer League and also on observations some of the original board members had made during visits to Europe. The club was established with the goal of meeting the area’s growing youth soccer needs by providing a higher level of coaching and competition than was available at the time.
The name Stroudsburg United was coined because of a desire to include all youth in the local area which was, at the time, primarily Monroe County. During the inaugural season, SUSC fielded four teams in the Lehigh Valley League, three boys’ teams and one girls’ team. Home games were played on the practice field at Stroudsburg High School. The boys’ teams consisted of a U-12 team coached by Dale Marsh, a U-14 team coached by Kevin Lavelle and a U-10 team coached by Ed Stevens and Ron Anders. The U-12 girls’ team was coached by Jim Hall. At the time, the club consisted of seven board members and approximately 70 players and coaches. The original board consisted of Kevin Yost (President), Kevin Lavelle (Secretary), Gary Olson (Treasurer), and members at large, Jim Hall, Dale Marsh, Glenn Yetter and Jack Fossett. Although not a board member, Dan Snyder, coach of the North Warren boys’ soccer team, was instrumental in helping set up the organization.
The logo was the result of a design contest among some Stroudsburg High School art students. The winning design by Jody Baylor depicts a soccer ball rising over the Delaware Water Gap.
Pocono Mountain (Founded 1986)
