The athletic field at Moakley Park’s Saunders Stadium was rededicated on Saturday, October 26, to Billy Baker, the late founder and longtime president of the South Boston Youth Soccer League (SBYSL).

Billy Baker founded SBYSL in 1984 “because there wasn’t one,” recalled his youngest son, Jack Baker.

“To have the field named after him, inside the park next to another Southie legend, Joe Moakley, would really make my father beam with pride,” he said. “To have that honor would really make him proud, and he no doubt would say something like, ‘Not bad for a guy who never actually played soccer,’ which he never did.”

Jack Baker offered a jovial, almost ball-busting, retrospective on his father’s work. He underscored that Billy Baker was always looking out for the kids of Southie and endlessly persevered to ensure they had access to facilities and equipment, even if it came out of his own pocket. 

“Nobody was ever denied the chance to play. In the 80s and 90s, that was a huge thing for a lot of families here, with a lot of subsidized housing and just sort of the nature of our town,” he said. “Maybe other sports kind of priced them out – but soccer, everybody played.”

“We were basically subsidized by the Baker family,” said SBYSL alum and state senator Nick Collins. 

Jack Baker said he remembered his dad in their sporting goods store at all hours of the day, screen printing and pressing numbers onto each jersey by hand. He reminisced about his father holding in-person sign-ups at the L St. Bath House to convince, or “guilt-trip,” parents into coaching teams. 

Bill Baker’s efforts extended as far as the field itself. “In addition to making sure the field was always in playable condition, what my father always did, and some people probably don’t know, is he came down here every single weekend morning,” Jack Baker shared. “He used to line the fields, put the corner flags in — back before these nets had wheels on them, and all that, he would have to put the nets on the posts and drag them out. He would do that every single morning by himself.”

Every year, the season would kick off with athletes parading around the field, sometimes dressed as the organization sponsoring their team. “That was sort of the biggest thing every year was this opening ceremony that he would do. All the kids loved it,” Jack Baker said. “It was just his personality to do this fun thing like that to make the kids feel good, make them feel like they were the biggest sport in Boston at the time.”

City Councilor Ed Flynn, who sponsored the rededication to the city council last year, said Billy Baker united Southie when the neighborhood needed it most. “Young kids learned how to compete with each other, made tremendous friendships, and developed a way to conduct themselves on the field and off the court. That’s what Billy was all about, bringing people together,” he shared.

Jack Baker ended the dedication by calling on the young adults and new neighbors of Southie to step up and give back to their community. 

“Living in Southie isn’t just about the nice restaurants and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It’s about community. So giving up a few hours every week isn’t much, but it makes a huge difference in the community and for the kids,” he said. “When you walk by Billy Baker Field, just know the sacrifice and selflessness that my father showed, and maybe consider doing your part. It enriched his life and lifted his soul to help others — especially the kids.

The South Boston Soccer League will play out the remainder of the season on the newly christened Billy Baker Field at Saunders Stadium. Practices take place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday for ages three to six, Wednesday for ages seven to ten, and Thursday for the middle and high school teams.