Developing Youth Soccer Players in Eastern Maine Blackbear United Football Club (BUFC) was founded in 2001 to offer youth soccer development for boys and girls. BUFC offers training and competitive teams for boys and girls in age groups U12 - U18, a development program for boys and girls in age groups U10 - U11, and a youth academy for players ages 4 - 13. Blackbear United is affiliated with the SoccerMaine Youth Soccer Association through its participation in the Pine Tree State League, the Northeast Regional League, the New England Soccer League (NESL), and the State Cup tournament. SoccerMaine lies within the boundaries of Region I and is a member of US Youth Soccer, the world largest youth sports organization in the world. US Youth Soccer is the largest affiliate of US Soccer, a member of FIFA, the governing body of world soccer. Blackbear United has grown from 66 players and 3 teams to over 250+ players with 14 teams, a development program, and a youth academy. Blackbear United is an Adidas Premier Club which allows us to offer incredible discounts to our players through our Club Partner Program and members of our Affiliation Program. The club continues to grow and anticipates adding teams until a boys and girls team is offered in each division (U12 - U18).

The Blackbear Experience Players who participate in Blackbear programs receive top-level coaching in a positive environment conducive to learning with an emphasis on development. The club strives to be competitive in games and tournaments with a "win if at all possible" approach. Our emphasis is on the experience, not the result. The coaching staff ignites the passion of the sport and passes it on to the players. Players enjoy the game, have fun, learn, and if at all possible "win." Especially at the younger ages the "just win" mentality does not exist, the experience and learning take precedence. The club instills competition and puts the players' best interests and development as a top priority. As the players get older, the training and competition intensifies. Players work to win, while still enjoying the game. Winning is important to our players and to our club, just not at the expense of health, happiness and development of our players. Blackbear players train from December - June and then represent their local school and travel programs in the fall. Blackbear players dominate the newspaper headlines and receive countless accolades.

PVC/KVAC All-Stars 28, Fall 2006 55, Fall 2005 49, Fall 2004 35, Fall 2003 22, Fall 2002 Maine Soccer Coaches Association Regional All-Stars 12, Fall 2006 30, Fall 2005 28, Fall 2004 Gatorade Player of the Year 1, Fall 2004 (Shelby Pickering) All-Americans 1, Fall 2005 (Dylan George) 1, Fall 2004 (Shelby Pickering) All-New England 2, Fall 2006 (JoJo Hwalek, Erin MacDermott) 3, Fall 2005 (Katie Delong, Jessie Roberts, Dylan George) 2, Fall 2004 (Shelby Pickering, Jensen Rich) 1, Fall 2003 (Nate Lovitz) Class Player of the Year Awards 1, Fall 2006 (JoJo Hwalek, Class A) 1, Fall 2005 (Dylan George, Class A) 2, Fall 2004 (Shelby Pickering, Class D and Jensen Rich, Class B) 1, Fall 2003 (Kaitlin Murphy, Class B) Tournament Success In the past few years, Blackbear United has attended the Needham Memorial Day Tournament (Needham, Mass), the Dartmouth Cup (New Hampshire), the Coastal Challenge (Brunswick, Maine), the Nordic Cup (Vermont), and the Brossard Tournament (Montreal). To date, Blackbear teams have been very competitive at these tournaments including: Brossard Cup (3 Championships, 2 Finalists, 2 Sem-Finals) Needham Memorial Day Tournament (1 Finalist) Coastal Challenge (4 Championships, 4 Finalists, 2 Semi-Finalists) Dartmouth Cup (2 Finalists, 4 Semi-Finals) Nordic Cup (1 Finalist, 2 Semi-Finals) State Cup Success Blackbear United has created a very competitve program in just a few short years. Blackbear United has sent four teams to the Region I Tournament including the U19 Girls who advanced out of their bracket in 2007 which was the first time a girl's team in Maine advanced to the Regional Semi-Final. The girls lost to the eventual Regional Champion who advanced to the National Final. The club has been in the State Finals twelve times, and the semi-finals ten times.

2010 State Champions:  U16 Girls, U16 Boys, U14 Boys

2010 State Finalists:  U18 Boys, U15 Girls, U12 Boys (Ball)

2010 Semi-Finalists:  U14 Boys, U13 Girls

2009 State Champions:  U13 Girls, U12 Boys

2009 State Finalists:  U18 Boys, U18 Girls, U15 Girls, U15 Boys

2008 State Champions:  U12 Girls, U12 Boys

2008 State Finalists:  U18 Boys, U18 Girls

2007 State Champions:  U19 Girls - represented Maine at Region I tournament in Portland, Maine and advanced out of their group to reach the Regional Semi-Finals

State Finalist (4) State Semi-Finalist (2)

2006 State Champion (U12 Boys, 8v8) - represented Maine at Region I tournament in Virginia Beach, VA State Finalist (3) State Semi-Finalist (2)

2005 State Champion (U18 Girls) - represented Maine at Region I tournament in Virginia Beach, VA State Finalist

(3) State Semi-Finalist (2)

2004 State Finalists (2) Semi-Finalists (2)

2003 Received Region I Wildcard (17 Boys) - represented Maine at Region I tournament at Univ. of Rhode Island

State Finalists (2) State Semi-Finalists (2)

2002 (First Year) State Finalists (1) State Semi-Finalists (2)

Collegiate Program Through high quality technical and tactical development training sessions, Blackbear players receive the necessary tools to play at the collegiate level. Blackbear's nationally licensed coaching staff is made up of the highest quality coaches with broad backgrounds of collegiate playing experience and expertise. Each fall players from the U18 girls and U18 boys teams move on to play collegiate soccer and join the 100 + Blackbear alumni who have played or are currently playing at the collegiate level. Check out our alumni page.

Coaching Philosophy The Blackbear United Football Club's philosophy is to develop players' technical and tactical ability through quality training from nationally licensed coaches in a fun and inviting atmosphere while promoting a healthy lifestyle. Players will participate in indoor leagues, friendly games, and tournament competition in addition to the excellent training and fitness sessions.

Affiliation with the University of Maine Blackbear United has developed a partnership with the University of Maine, the Maine players, and the athletic administration. We have a great relationship with the administration and rely on renting and utilizing their incredible facilities as we continue to provide the appropriate development for our players. Of course it is a dream to produce players for the University of Maine, or NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA and JUCO colleges around the country. The University of Maine serves as a great example as far as excellence in the academic field and excellence in everything that our players accomplish both on and off the field