Williamsburg Wizards
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| Founded | 1989 (dissolved 1999) |
|---|---|
| Ground | Williamsburg Municipal Fields (JCC Rec Center, Magruder, Queens Lake, et al) |
| Manager | Al Albert (assisted by Bob Behncke) |
| League | SEVYSA (1989-1996), VCCL (1997-1999) |
The Williamsburg Wizards were an American youth soccer team, based in Williamsburg, Virginia.
In 1989, Williamsburg Wizards head coach Al Albert went door-to-door to elementary school gym teachers in Williamsburg, Virginia asking them for names of the most athletic students in their 4th grade class. A selection of those names soon formed the nucleus of the first Wizards soccer team which went undefeated in its first 32 matches. Over the years, the team was able to attract added talent from up to an hour in all directions based on the magnetic draw of its coaching staff in Al Albert, who at the time was the head coach of the men's team at the College of William and Mary.
Virginia State Cup
The Williamsburg Wizards dominated their age group of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association (VYSA) in the 1990s. The Wizards competed before the advent of the US Soccer Academy system, and therefore, the VYSA State Cup Championship was the undisputed highest honor to be achieved each year in the commonwealth.[1][2][3]
- U11 Virginia State Champions (1991, record 38-8-8)
- U13 Virginia State Champions (1993, record 52-10-9)
- U14 Virginia State Champions (1994, record 45-16-10)
- U15 Virginia State Champions (1995, record 48-10-8)
- U16 Virginia State Champions (1996, record n/a)
- U19 Virginia State Champions (1999, record n/a)
Coaching
The Wizards were coached by Al Albert, who was assisted by Bob Behncke. Albert is best known as the long-time head men's soccer coach at the College of William and Mary (33yrs, 1971-2003). Behncke was a regional all-American selection for the Army men's soccer program in the late sixties.[4] Albert and Behncke both had sons who played every season for the Wizards.