As an outsider looking in, one might not understand how much history has been in the making for Minnesota’s Sol of the Cities. This soccer story began decades ago for the Mario and Sparkle Wimberly duo. Mario was a self-described “first generation soccer kid.” Having moved to Minneapolis as a two-year-old, his parents, native to […]
Author: Geny Decker
Founded in 1972 in Monticello, Iowa, Camp Courageous serves as a camp for individuals with special needs and of all ages and backgrounds. Today, Camp Courageous consists of nearly 400 acres of land and 33 buildings and serves nearly 10,000 individuals with special needs on an annual basis. Part of Camp’s recent growth has included […]
When The Simple Foundation started offering soccer programming at their center in Omaha, Nebraska, the teams were made up predominantly of boys. In fact, so few girls were rostered that The Simple Foundation didn’t have any girls teams. Of the girls who did come to play, most stopped showing up because they wanted to play […]
This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women coach-mentors who help make everyone feel valued by creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive spaces for young people. Coach-Mentor Alana “I am so blessed to say that I get to do what I love for a living. Since 2017 through the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s and the Independent […]
You could say that Vanessa Spero’s decision to host a summer Soccer for Success program for children with Down syndrome was a personal one. Having seen the great work that her colleagues do to run Soccer for Success through UF/ IFAS Extension Osceola County 4-H, she saw how the program positively engaged children in sport. […]
We had the opportunity to sit down with coach-mentors Sal and Perla ahead of our Soccer for Success clinics in the week leading up to MLS All-Star in Los Angeles. Not only are Sal and Perla stellar on the field with the kids, but we were also thrilled to get to know them off the […]
Recorded videos. Coloring sheets. Word searches. Coaching instruction in English and Spanish. Virtual appearances from D.C. United, Washington Spirit, and Georgetown women’s soccer players. These are just a few of the ways that coaches and staff at DC SCORES, one of the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Soccer for Success partners, have shown their resiliency, commitment to […]
“Thank you. I really didn’t know how a girl would feel if we, as boys, don’t treat them the way they deserve.” These words came from a 6th grade boy who participates in FLIPANY’s Soccer for Success program at Deerfield Beach Middle School. FLIPANY is a U.S. Soccer Foundation partner of over 150 afterschool providers […]
We sat down with Quincy Amarikwa, Imani Dorsey, Justin Morrow, Ifeoma Onumonu, and Jasmyne Spencer of Black Players for Change and Black Women’s Player Collective to learn more about their aspirations for their organizations and the 12 new mini-pitches being installed across the country. Why did you decide to get involved in Black Players for […]
Much like for many other youth-serving organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges to members of the America SCORES Bay Area (ASBA) team. But it also provided an opportunity for leadership, which is where youth coaches VV, Elodie, and Daniela came in. Over the summer, the trio ran a successful online summer program for younger […]
