“You can’t just start a football club from scratch. And you definitely can’t do it in America.”

Ok, so no one ever actually said that to us. Not in so many words. But that’s definitely what it felt like, growing up in a country that hadn’t fully embraced the world’s most popular sport.

That was then. This is now.

Oaklyn United is a community football club (or soccer club, if that’s your thing. We don’t do the debate - it’s played out) based in southern New Jersey in the shadow of Philadelphia.

Humble roots. Great expectations.

Oaklyn United has already taken some huge strides towards becoming one of the area’s premier adult soccer clubs. Our amateur teams have become a force in the greater Philadelphia soccer scene. We have established our semi-pro side in the Eastern Premier Soccer League as a place where serious players can develop, regardless of their backgrounds.

But we’re not done yet. Future plans include:

• Creating youth teams, including no-cost elite squads for underserved kids and a unified sports team

• Entering a team into the US Open Cup qualification rounds

• Developing a pipeline for grassroots players to go pro, even if they didn’t play at colleges or elite clubs

Is it ambitious? Of course. But we believe that stating our goals helps us stay accountable to them, and helps show our supporters, teammates, and opponents that we’re serious about our mission.

Moving the sport forward.

OUFC was created because we believe there’s something missing when it comes to the football scene in America.

Too many kids don’t stick with the game because there’s too little structure to bridge the gap between playing in backyards and streets to playing at the highest level. Too many adults can’t find opportunities to keep playing at a high level after high school and college. The infrastructure that does exist is largely inaccessible, packed with expensive elite clubs and gate-kept by establishment figures.

Moving the sport forward in America means building the kind of football culture that allows both youth and adults to play continually as they grow. It requires blurring the line between football fan and football player. And most of all - it requires creating more opportunities for people to play the game they love.

In short - it requires improving at the grassroots level. That’s what OUFC is all about.

Get Involved.

The Trophy Cabinet