As we prepare for the first banquet under the Inter CT banner tonight, we would like to thank all our existing members for their continued support and welcome new members as they join the Inter CT family. 

This last year has been yet another year of extraordinary growth for the club and one that sees us generate subtle changes to our badge in order to differentiate our now four branches. - With the partnering with Shelton Youth Soccer Organization, and three branches now away from the All Saints facility, it seemed only correct to amend the badge in each branch to reflect a unique aspect of the branch.

1. Norwalk branch will continue to use the halo as All Saints, especially with the new $1.8M turf going in which will be the catalyst to bring our High School teams back home.
2. The Litchfield branch will incorporate the Hills logo used in the Litchfield Hills travel program which has been so instrumental in creating a premier branch in the area
3. The Milford and Shelton branches will incorporate a link to show that there is a “Union” between the two programs to create a strong premier program on the New Haven County and Fairfield County border.

Along with introducing these new badges, the website has had a refresh to enable us to incorporate the badges. The new website is also a great opportunity for small or large businesses to showcase their logo as part of our sponsorship package.

On the field, we have had our most successful year. Just yesterday ( June 11th ) we saw our 2007 team ( once our weakest age group ) walk away with another trophy at the EDP showcase. This follows on from their success in Potomac over the Memorial Day Weekend tournament. 

On the same day, the 2011 Milford boys clinched a nailbiter of a final game, needing to win by two clear goals to leapfrog the top-placed team to win the title which they did so in style. This follows on from the 2012 Milford girls and 2012 Milford boys winning their titles the week before. 

Coaches Stephen and Pedro of Milford also recently enjoyed Needham success, bringing home three trophies for the boys 2011, 2012 and the girls 2012. The Norwalk branch also had their fair share of success in the same tournament with the boys 2011 NAC, boys 2010 NAC and boys 2009 NAC all bringing home winners silverware whilst another three teams ( 2012 boys, 2010girls & 2006 girls ) were runners up.

Litchfield 2010 girls won their inaugural Premier league debut at the end of the fall, the 2011's won the WIN tournament and the girl’s regional team made up of Norwalk & Litchfield 2009 & 2010’s showed tremendous growth as they became more acclimatized to Regional play, winning the EDP showcase in early winter whilst showing vast improvements in league play in the spring. With the introduction of the Union branch, this team and others will provide a great platform for top players wanting to play at the regional level.

Our USL Academy, having gone unbeaten in 2022, continues to thrive and in a rebuilding year which sees many young Inter CT players involved, the team is battling to make the third National Championships in three years as they currently stand top of the league. - The USL Pre-Academy teams saw a tremendous growth in participation this past year by entering and winning the Hershey Cup last summer and having a record number of Inter CT participants go to Tampa in March for the USL Open Cup. The U15’s won their bracket, U19’s lost in the final and the U13’s did the club proud participating and competing very well against the country’s top teams.

Following pandemic we have been able to improve our offerings for International Travel. Experiencing international soccer has shown to have major impacts on our players not only from a soccer perspective but from and emotional and social level too. Exposing our players to new cultures, countries, new soccer and new people really improves their maturity and independence. These benefits align with our mission of using soccer as a vehicle for making amazing people. 

This year we add a new mantra to our slogan with a very exciting International addition. Currently, LOVE THE GAME - LOVE TO LEARN - LOVE TO COMPETE is the slogan we adhere to. This year we are adding LOVE TO GIVE BACK. This is a result of our upcoming trip to Malawi where we will take some Juniors on a 10 day tour where they will practice with our friends at Ascent Soccer Academy, play in some scrimmages, experience a safari and most importantly, connect with the local community, donate kits, work with local children and make as big an impact as they can. 

In another act of giving back, we have introduced the youth coach program where high school players get mentored in how to coach young players. The program has been a success with a number of new coaches getting valuable experience, taking coaching certifications and now working on Inter CT’s summer camps. 

Our Pre-team Academy grew exponentially, proving that players who have been tossed aside by other clubs deserve to get good training and the chance to get better and that given the opportunity and desire, these players can and will feed our teams in the future. 

Our social media platforms have grown this year with the addition of a revamped YouTube channel - The Behind the Badge series gives great insight into what goes on behind the scenes and provides an opportunity to see other aspects of our programming that you may not currently be involved with - Our intern, Ian Ueker also created the Club’s Tik Tok account to ensure we are keeping up to date with the latest platforms. 

Lastly, Inter CT recognizes the importance of player welfare and the importance of sports phycology. Inter CT’s player welfare program this last year has provided 15 players free sports psychology advice in an important extra service that adds to the plethora of additional services already offered such as Extra time technical training, Veo video analysis, Performance training and evaluations based off core competencies.

Our fifth year has us looking forward to so much. Our turf field is being laid over this summer, our Union teams are being formed, regional teams are being selected and we are now on the ECNL pathway proving that Inter CT can provide the best platform for players if that’s what they are looking for.

So as we celebrate our fourth anniversary, we say thank you and we look forward to all that year five can bring us.