Our History
Region 325 began as an American Youth Soccer Organization Pilot Region in 1981 shortly after Area 5B was formed in the same year to bring recreational soccer with the AYSO philosophies to East Tennessee.
The region grew and in 1983 was granted Charter Region status by AYSO. Region 325 included programs in Lenoir City, Loudon, and Sweetwater and soon had more than 500 recreational soccer players each season. All of AYSO throughout East Tennessee enjoyed tremendous success and Region 325 was reassigned to the newly formed Area 5G consisting of the counties to the west and south of Knox County.
The rapid success also brought a number of growth problems to the region which almost caused its collapse in the late 1980s, but a small dedicated group of volunteers worked diligently to keep AYSO and its philosophies alive; and Region 325 flourished again.
In 1994 the Sweetwater program was reassigned to Region 612 (later Region 1277 was formed to serve Monroe County) and Region 325 became focused on Loudon County, TN.
In 1995 the region organized two boys' teams and one girls’ team to compete in the Knox Metro Middle School Soccer League. Over the next four years, the teams found great success and are now school sponsored teams.
Today, the region’s success is attributable to our enthusiastic players, untiring volunteers, and the Lenoir City Parks and Recreation Department, the City of Loudon Parks and Recreation, Lenoir City Schools, and Loudon County Schools whose efforts and cooperation help us bring fair, fun and safe soccer to Loudon County.
With active Middle School and High School soccer programs throughout the county, Region 325 is now focusing on the younger age groups.
During the spring/early summer of 2003, the Lenoir City Parks and Recreation Department purchased a track of land at the intersection of McGee Road and Rock Springs Road for the construction of a new soccer park. AYSO moved to the new Wampler-Keith Park for the Fall 2003 season.
In the Fall of 2003, a local Upward Soccer Program was started. However, player enrollment in our AYSO program remained relatively constant.
In the Spring of 2004, the remaining soccer fields at the Lenoir City Industrial Park Fields were closed and the property was sold by Lenoir City for development.
We typically have around 250 players each fall and again each spring.