Tell us about SSFAC - when was the club founded and what is its mission? What league(s) does the club play in and why has the club chosen those leagues?
SSFAC began play in 1954 under the direction of its founder and original Coach, Alvaro Bettucchi. Bettucchi wanted to grow the game of soccer on the San Francisco Peninsula and the obvious place to begin that process was in his home town of South San Francisco. There were no leagues to speak of during that time other than the SFSFL in San Francisco, so Coach Bettucchi played teams from San Francisco for a few years as he built the foundation to club ball south of the City.

Eventually, SSFAC joined the new Peninsula Soccer League in 1957 which was founded by Hall of Famer, Umberto Abronzino who had come to San Jose from Italy. Bettucchi also coached at SSF High School and a High School League was formed in the early 1960's with Bettucchi leading the way and organizing the league. Meanwhile, SSFAC continued play in the growing PSL and the mission was to fill the roster with local players from the area that would have a chance to play the game they loved.

Mr. Bettucchi managed his team from 1954-1984 when he decided to retire from coaching and then turned the team over to Mike Pizzo who had previously played for SSFAC Jrs as the teams goalkeeper. Pizzo recruited players from his AYSO U18 team who then were to old to continue in youth soccer. Many of them where graduates from SSF High School. The team struggled for a few years to find its way and to compete against some of the stronger clubs in the PSL. Over time, SSFAC did find success as they slowly climbed through the multiple divisions of the PSL. They were promoted from the 2nd Division to the 1st, then rose to the Premier Division and then finally made it to the top tier in 2012 when they joined the Majors Division. The team had some great rivalries going in that Division with teams like Santa Clara Sporting, Palo Alto SC, Gordon Biersch and Goal Busters to name a few.

SSFAC finished off a great run in the PSL's final season as they won the Majors Division in 2021. With the PSL ending operations, SSFAC joined the SWPL's Pacific Premier League where they finished in 5th place in their 1st year. SWPL provided the club a chance to keep moving forward in a league that is well organized and features some amazing teams that are very competitive. It is the clubs hope to be a part of this league for many years to come.

Tell us about the badge and colors - what is the inspiration and does it connect to your community in some way?
The team's original colors were Blue and White and the team did not have a badge / logo. The colors were the same as the SSF High colors. In 1984 when Mike Pizzo took over for Bettucchi, the team went for a fresher look and a color scheme of red & black and then navy blue with red and white trim. A logo was also designed by Pizzo's father who incorporated the look of a city with a backdrop of Sign Hill that features the wording of "South San Francisco The Industrial City" which traces back to the earlier times in SSF when industry was prevalent. Also it has a soccer ball and the year the team was founded.

Do you sell merchandise or have plans to?
The team has yet to sell any merchandise, but it is something for the club to explore down the road.

Howard Choy of SSFAC 2011 (photo from club Facebook Page)

How did the most recent season go? What were your goals and aspirations heading in? What is something to work on in the future?
In the teams first season in the SWPL, SSFAC finished in the 5th position of the 10 team Pacific Premier League. As the team entered this new challenge, the goal was to be competitive and advance to a higher level. Player Coach Gareth Lea worked very hard to prepare the players for what would be a change from their comfort zone of playing close to home, to enduring the riggers of playing on the road and many more night games than they had been accustomed to. It was a great learning experience for the team as they traveled further than they had previously, and played some amazing teams in the process. Although they hung around near the top of the table for most of the season, the club was proud of its accomplishments in year one and looks to make an even greater run at the top as they head into the new season this fall.

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