The WYSL was established in the 1970s as a non-profit, educational organization, and is one of the largest leagues in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA).  The mission of the WYSL is to foster the growth and development of youth and build character through soccer.   The WYSL now fields more than 17,000 players from over 40 member and guest clubs.

The WYSL and ENYYSA are both part of the US Youth Soccer Association ("US Youth Soccer"), the largest member of the US Soccer Federation, the governing body for soccer in the United States.  US Youth Soccer has over 3,200,000 players in all 50 states.

The WYSL sponsors Fall and Spring travel soccer,  and offers a Select/Olympic Development Program featuring summer tournament play.   Many member clubs offer recreational soccer in their communities, and host soccer tournaments.  The WYSL offers Coach and Referee Certification Courses, supports the principles of positive coaching and is a member of the Positive Coaching Alliance. 

Each season, the WYSL awards the team in each division with the highest sportsmanship scores its Sportsmanship Award.  The League also confers the pretigious Double-Goal Coach Award to the coaches of teams which win both the Sportsmanship Award and their Divisional Championship.