How did you get started; who's bright idea was it and when did it come about?
We were founded in the year 2001 by a man named Patrick McDavitt who loved Arsenal back when they were actually good, hence the name. The team joined Division III of BSSL in 2003 and according to sources familiar with those early teams we had “terrible players originally, but built it up.”

The group eventually gained promotion to BSSL Division I in 2008 and hasn’t looked back since, winning the league 3 times in 2011, 2012, and now most recently in 2020.

Following a couple tough seasons in the late 2010s where 8 or 9 players was considered good attendance, the Gunners merged with Playwright FC out of South Boston. Terms of the merger remain undisclosed, but many of the discussions took place over beers after Over 30 games, so you can only imagine it was a well thought out agreement.

The merger has reinvigorated the Gunners organization, solidifying the roster with depth at every position and providing even more access to local watering holes.

You were recently knocked out of the Semis of the Mass Soccer Amateur Cup; what's the farthest you gone? Do you have any club silverware?
The Gunners have a long and storied history of both on and off-the-field success. On-field success includes a 2012 Amateur Cup National Championship and 2014 Mass Amateur Cup Championship. Off-field success includes notable accomplishments like Most Bar Sponsorships Secured by One Team During the 2010s (unofficial) and Best Amateur Soccer Twitter Account (self-proclaimed).

Some teams try to enter the US Open Cup through qualifying rounds; has the thought ever crossed your mind? Would it be something you would pursue in the future?
Each year we carefully evaluate our tournament options, but as former National Champions of the USASA National Amateur Cup, we tend to prioritize that hardware. Plus, as fans of the New England Revolution, we worry about what an inevitable loss to the Broadway Gunners in the Open Cup would do to their confidence.

2020 has been a poor year for getting friends and family out to soccer games; under normal conditions, do you have a few followers?
Fans that actually come to live games? Absolutely not. On Twitter? You’re damn right we do. 183 and counting, to be exact.

The costs of running a team, even at the regional league level, can be a bit more than one person can handle; do you sell club swag to raise funds? Do you have sponsors? How do you make ends meet?
As we mentioned previously, the Gunners have been incredibly successful in securing local Boston bars as sponsors. The terms of these sponsorship deals have varied over the years, but they tend to revolve around discounted post-game appetizers.

If there are any brands out there that are looking to get involved in the amateur soccer world, there is literally nothing that is off-limits when it comes to sponsorship with us. You want a tattooed logo on every player’s forearm? Done. You want The Gunners slinging promo codes for your organic cat food company on social media? Just tell us where to sign.

The Bay State Soccer League is one of our favorites! You're doing well in the top division; are there any thoughts of growing the club and joining a national league or hoping BSSL joins up with NISA? Or are you happy right where you are?
We realize we are late in responding to these questions, but we aren’t just “doing well” in the BSSL top division. We are now officially the 2020 COVID-shortened-kind-of-real-but-not-entirely-real BSSL Champions.

We’re pretty content with where we are right now. There are a lot of teams that take Men’s League soccer VERYYYY seriously, we just take it semi-seriously.

Follow and connect with Broadway Gunners on Twitter HERE