Organized youth soccer was first played in Columbus in the early 1970’s as part of the Columbus Youth Soccer Association (CYSA). In the 1990s, CFC Red Star became the Select Division of Columbus Youth Soccer Association, in order to compete in the Georgia Soccer Association’s youth select team divisions, known as Classic for boys and Athena for girls. Red Star became the Columbus Futbol Club, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, in 2004. All Select and Academy teams in Columbus play under the club name “Red Star”. In 2005 Georgia Youth Soccer created the Academy program, separating from the Select, allowing clubs to create their own playing schedule.