The BOLTS Get A New Look!

 Scott Burke, President of the FC Greater Boston Bolts, announced today that the premier soccer club has a new look.   At a meeting of club supporters, the Bolts unveiled a new logo and a new name, which are reflective of the club’s exciting development and global reach. Going forward, the organization will be known as the FC Bolts Celtic.

Burke explained, "over the past 25 years, the Bolts organization has become known as one of the premier soccer clubs in New England, preparing soccer players to play at the top levels in college and professionally. Over the last few years, the club’s superb reputation has continued to spread both domestically, and internationally. The organization has established affiliations with the Bayside Bolts in Rhode Island; recently announced the establishment of the FC Londonderry Bolts in New Hampshire; and last year announced our partnership with Celtic FC, the premier soccer club in Glasgow, Scotland. The Bolt’s goal is to continue to expand strategically, providing an opportunity for top players in New England to become part of the Bolts."

The Bolts international affiliation with Celtic FC was brought about due to the generous support of Nike. Brian Ainscough, Director of Coaching, discussed the value of our relationship with Celtic FC. "Our goal here is give Bolts players training opportunities with some of the top international coaches in the world, and to give our elite players consideration for playing professionally for Celtic FC. We will do this by bringing Celtic FC coaches over to conduct camps and clinics; by sending Bolts coaches and players to train in Scotland; and by having Celtic FC scouts at games and training to evaluate players. We believe this is an extraordinary opportunity for our players and one that sets us apart".

Elliott Pratt, CEO of the Bolts added, "We believe that our new name and logo reflect all the exciting developments going on within the club.   Our Bolts players and families should rest assured that our new look does not mean any change to our mission, administration, or operations. It is just the beginning of our next 25 exciting years of soccer!"  Look for the new name and logo changes to be implemented in the weeks ahead.

NEWS FROM THE PITCH         Showcase and Tournament News   Boys U17:  The new Bolts BU17 Team won their first game in the New England Premiership League and were undefeated in their tournament this weekend in New Jersey.  The MSSL/MAPS College Showcase Tournament had fourteen competitive BU17 groups.  The Bolts BU17 were a finalist, with two wins and two draws, narrowly missing out on the #1 spot on goal differential.    This tournament, along with the first league game, provided the team with their first chance to play together and compete against other teams.  Coach Joel Ogbunamiri was able to put players in new positions and integrate the new players into the team. The team beat Jersey Knight Gunners and Middletown SC White Nights while tying the BW Gottshee BWG Cosmos (champions) and Stamford Youth Soccer.  Many college coaches were on hand watching games.  The team is looking forward to the rest of the NEP season and competing in NH State Cup and their next tournament over Memorial Day weekend at the MPS College Showcase.             From Coach Bobby Thompson: The Bolts Boys U-11 Teal team had a wonderful performance on Sunday.  With a few players away on vacation, the team played the entire game without any substitutions, and was still able to tie a really strong AZTECS team 1-1.  The team fought their way back from a 1-0 deficit to score a fabulous team goal to tie it up with only minutes remaining.  "I was incredibly proud of our boys.  They fought so hard and played some great soccer, despite our team playing with no subs"   The Bolts Boys U-12 Teal team kept things rolling this weekend, playing back to back games and winning both games by a score of 7-1.  The most notable part of the team’s performance was their passing and unselfish play.  The U-12 Teal team has been in tremendous form as of late, and they are really beginning to play with amazing chemistry.

COACHES IN THE COMMUNITY On Saturday April 7, 2012, Bolts Academy Prep Director Bobby Thompson spent the afternoon running a free soccer clinic for an organization called Level the Field.  The mission of Level the Field is to empower inner-city youth by providing a unique opportunity to work with high achieving collegiate student-athletes and coaches both inside and outside the classroom.  Coach Thompson is also an assistant coach at Tufts University, and so he ran the clinic along with a number of his players from the Tufts Men’s Soccer team.  "I was very proud to have the opportunity to work with such a great group of kids.  It was a great experience for me as well as my players at Tufts, and I look forward to working with this organization again soon."

Save the Dates:

Spring Junior Academy begins April 25 at Fessenden School

Bayside Bolts Father’s Day Tournament- June 15-17

Tryouts for Bolts 2012-13 teams begin for U10 and U11 players on June 11th and all others on June 18th  More  details have been posted on our website on TRYOUTS tab