When the fall soccer season was about to begin at Everett Middle School, Daniela and Ava realized that there was not a team for them to play on. The school only had a boys’ team, but not a coed team or a girls’ team.
After receiving offers to play for other coed and girls’ teams from other schools in their district, Daniela and Ava turned down the offers and came up with a different idea – what if they started an all-girls soccer team at their school?
With the start of the season just two weeks away, Daniela and Ava got to work recruiting friends and forming their own team. Working with their after-school coordinator, they organized a Soccer for Success team through our community partner, America SCORES Bay Area. Daniela and Ava did all the recruiting on their own, while the coordinator helped with logistics.
“It was a very grassroots level organization. Everett never had an all-girls team before, and Ava and Daniela were able to recruit nine other girls to join the team,” said Middle School Program Director for America SCORES Bay Area Roberto Gil. “We were very inspired by their motivation to form a team. We loved seeing the girls come together, demonstrate leadership and play the game of soccer.”
Just like that, Everett Middle School had their first ever all-girls soccer team, led by Daniela and Ava. “Soccer is fun,” said Ava. “But it is even more fun when you get to play with your friends.”
“Creating their own team gave the girls a further sense of pride and belonging,” said Roberto.
This feeling was reflected in the outcome of their season. After coming together just two weeks before the season started, the team worked together and won the championship at the end-of-season tournament- cementing a season in the Everett Middle School history books, that all started with the determination of Ava and Daniela to represent their school and play the game with their friends.
