Growing up in Wellesley, Mass., Jay Cooney and his family just wanted to play soccer. The youngest and only son of the family, Cooney’s soccer path began with to his parents. While nothing is extraordinary about that, Cooney’s path unique as it was actually his parent’s determination to bring a proper girl’s club to town for his sisters that got the Bethlehem Steel FC assistant into the sport.
Without a club for their daughters, Joe and Marge Cooney, started the Wellesley United Soccer Club, giving Jay’s sisters the chance to play the beautiful game.
“My earliest memories, every weekend was spent at a soccer field and every t-shirt that I had was a Wellesley United Soccer Club t-shirt,” Cooney said.