The YMCA of Metro Atlanta has unveiled a new historical marker at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, recognizing the site as the birthplace of organized YMCA youth soccer in the United States. Installed on the Seminary’s soccer fields, the marker commemorates the launch of one of the nation’s first youth soccer leagues in 1967, when the YMCA of Metro Atlanta partnered with the Atlanta Chiefs to introduce the sport to young players in the community.

To celebrate the installation, the YMCA of Metro Atlanta joined with long-time community partner Gas South to host a celebration at the Seminary fields, bringing together YMCA leaders, families, community members and young athletes. As part of their continued support of the YMCA, Gas South is sponsoring the Y’s 2026 spring soccer jerseys, which players revealed during the event. The jerseys are inspired by the international teams competing in this summer’s matches in Atlanta. Attendees included YMCA of Metro Atlanta CEO Lauren Koontz, Gas South CEO Kevin Greiner, Columbia Seminary President Dr. Victor Aloyo, and other local leaders.

“Organized youth soccer in the United States started right here with the YMCA,” said Lauren Koontz, President & CEO of the YMCA of Metro Atlanta. “What began in 1967 as clinics between Atlanta Chiefs players and local kids from our Decatur Y grew into a movement that spread across the country. At the Y, sports are about more than a game. They bring communities together and help young people grow and thrive.”

The Columbia Theological Seminary soccer fields hosted the first organized YMCA youth soccer clinics and games in the United States beginning in 1967. At the time, the Atlanta Chiefs, Atlanta’s first professional sports team to win a championship, were living and practicing at the Seminary and looking for ways to grow the sport locally. In collaboration with the Decatur Family YMCA, team leaders helped launch structured youth leagues that quickly attracted hundreds of children and grew to thousands of participants within a few short years.

Because of this pioneering effort, Metro Atlanta became the birthplace of organized YMCA youth soccer in the United States and helped shape how the sport spread across the YMCA Movement nationwide. Decades later, the Decatur Family YMCA soccer leagues continue to play on the Seminary fields, connecting new generations of players to the sport’s roots in the community.