Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, and the Urban Soccer Collaborative, hosted 73 individuals representing nearly 50 different organizations committed to using soccer for social change at the fourth Annual Urban Soccer Symposium held in Washington, DC on April 21-23.
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This national event was designed to help develop new programs and strengthen existing organizations committed to using soccer as a tool for positive youth development in under-resourced communities. The core theme throughout the three day event was how soccer can be used to promote healthy lifestyles, thus recognizing the important role soccer plays in the nation’s fight against childhood obesity.
Expert panel discussions and break-out sessions included: How to Ensure an “Active” Soccer Program, The Components of “Healthy” Youth Development Programs, How to Include “Nutrition” Into Your Soccer Program as well as continuing education in the fields of Fundraising, Strategic Planning, Partnership Development, Coaching Education, Life Skills Programming, and Measurements and Evaluations.
The Symposium served as an educational device for all those who attended, as each participant left with the proper materials and motivation to expand and incorporate healthy lifestyle components into their core programs. In addition, the numerous break-out sessions allowed the organizations present, to thoughtfully discuss their issues, struggles, best practices, tools, and methods by drawing upon collective experiences.
“The opportunity to have all of these groups committed to using soccer for social change – together, talking, listening, and learning – created the general sense that this symposium was a breakthrough moment in our collective fight against childhood obesity,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President of the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
“The response to this symposium is another significant step forward in mobilizing a movement and realizing the potential of soccer to impact positive social change,” said Tony Williams, the Urban Soccer Collaborative Chairman. “The compassion and commitment of the local program providers is inspiring. Now we must digest this feast of reason and use it to feed the needs of young people in under resourced communities across the country.”
The Urban Soccer Symposium also welcomed the presence of D.C. United forward, Jaime Moreno, and former U.S. National Team members, Eddie Pope and Staci Wilson. All three soccer stars are committed to supporting urban soccer programs, and wanted to show their support of the work being done by the organizations attending the Symposium.
The Urban Soccer Symposium builds upon the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s support of events that promote healthy lifestyles through soccer. In March, the U.S. Soccer Foundation partnered with the National Alliance for Hispanic health to hold a soccer clinic in D.C. and kick-off a 25 city Passback Tour. The event was attended and supported by the First Lady as part of her Let’s Move Initiative.
Learn More About the Urban Soccer Collaborative
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