History Channel

Back in 1996, the only game in town for girl's soccer was coed. Not all girls wanted to compete with the boys, so Seth Brownstein had an idea.....

Comments from Seth Brownstein

GBGSL's very first game was played on the little field behind Rock Point fields School in 1996. There were two teams of 10 second graders & one team's worth of tee shirts to be shared! The designated shirt wearing team would don their shirts before each game - in a grumbling pre-game ritual. The idea of the league came the year before to Seth Brownstein as he watched his daughter play in the co-ed league. When he asked a parent why there were so few girls on the older aged teams, the answer was, "The girls drop out because they lose interest."

Though there was resistance to the idea and need for an all girl's league, just a few weeks before the fall of 1997, the Parks and Recreation commission approved a proposal to support a trial one season league. Convinced by that season's enthusiastic response from the players, Seth and Pat Doran and other interested parents began the GBGSL in earnest. In each season in the early years the league grew dramatically in size. Overwhelmed by its growing success, the league never would have survived those early years without the dedication, time, and organizational energy that Pat Doran provided on the board. And its continued success depended, and still depends, on the many members of the Board who have given so much time and effort over the years.

For the first few seasons, weekly game sites alternated between Callahan Park and Leddy Park, then GBGSL finally settled on Callahan as "home". In one of the earliest season ending league picnics, a mass "Macarena" dance spontaneously erupted in what would become a seasonal ending ritual. Later, the team cheers/ performances were added to the picnic in response to several team requests.

And the rest is history. With over 400 registered players last season, and more than thirty teams, it is obvious that many girls thrive in an all girls league. And they certainly maintain their interest!