Lighthouse Boys club of kensington joins The League for Clubs

The Lighthouse was founded in Philadelphia by Esther W. Kelly Bradford in 1893 and started playing soccer as the Lighthouse Boys Club in 1897. As a community organization that served many British and Irish immigrants, it was unsurprising that the sport of soccer took off at the club. What followed were some of the most successful youth soccer teams in the early days of the sport in America. By 1940, Lighthouse Boys Club was the largest soccer organization in the world.

The history of Lighthouse Boys Club includes five U-19 National Championships, now known as the James McGuire Cup (1938, ‘48, ‘49, ‘57 & ‘67). Multiple former Lighthouse players have been enshrined in the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Those players include Len Oliver, Walter Bahr, Harry Fleming, Bob Gormley, Benny McGlaughlin, Francis Ryan and Dick Spalding. Walter Bahr started for the USA in the 1950 USA vs England FIFA World Cup Game in Brazil. The USA won 1-0. The 1936 US Olympic Soccer team also included four players who started their careers playing youth soccer for Lighthouse Boys Club.

As we tell the story of one of the most storied soccer clubs in American history, we hope that it will inspire a new generation of players at Lighthouse Boys Club to make a lasting impact on the sport, the club and surrounding communities. We are honored to have a club with such a rich history in The League for Clubs and we can’t wait to see them on the pitch in 2025 and beyond!

Lighthouse Boys Club of Kensington will play their home games at the vibrant and historic Lighthouse Sports & Entertainment Complex located at 101-199 E Erie Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19140. This is the same field Manchester United, after having just won the English League, played a team of Philadelphia All-Stars on May 11th 1952. Manchester United won 4-0 in front of over 3000 fans.