After that meeting, we saw this unfortunate trend continue. Our upcoming trips to the Middle East, Uzbekistan and the U.K., Summer KP4FP beach soccer leagues and clinics, along with so many more projects that we had been lining up to help bring education and leadership opportunities to thousands of young people across the globe also needed to be postponed. We quickly learned, as did the rest of the world, the importance of limiting travel, adhering to social distancing, and putting the safety of our families and loved ones first.
We started off in 2010 with a question. How can we use the game of soccer to better the lives of others?
After several months of planning, in 2011, we officially kicked off our first United Kidz Soccer program in a windy, freezing cold parking lot, with 9 kids, sweaters for goal post, and an old, raggedy soccer ball. Fast forward to 2020, and we serve approximately 500 young people locally and approximately impact another 1000 globally. We have traveled all over the world to some of the most poverty stricken areas on the planet and have always been met with a smile. We have developed strong relationships with like minded groups throughout the U.S. and throughout the world, all on a shoestring budget and as a fully voluntary organization. Every penny that is donated to UKSD goes directly back to the young people and communities we work in. We constantly have to pinch ourselves to believe that what we do is even real. We are beyond lucky.
Having time to reflect was the one positive thing that this entire messy Covid life of ours has given to us. From our own life experiences, we know that with every adverse situation there will always be a positive you can take away. In the past decade, we have never had an opportunity to really assess the work we do and the actual impact we have made. Unlike many other soccer or youth sports organizations, we are not trying to sell the latest training tool or offer the ‘best coaching’ or most ‘elite league’. We don’t do what we do to make a living.
We do what we do because we love working with young people. The UKSD coaching team can all say that sports have helped us navigate so many aspects of our lives. We know that sports are a great way to learn both life and social skills. We know sports are something that should be afforded to every young person who wishes to participate, regardless of socio-economic status, race, gender, or beliefs. We know that having the opportunity to play, learn and love the game, is not a reality for so many because of the youth sports system we live in. We know that we will always try to provide opportunities to combat this. We know that will always give a platform for others to have a safe place to come and be themselves. We know that we will continue our work for the next decade and will continue to build strong young leaders who will dedicate their efforts to help others. We know that we will continue to use a soccer ball to bring communities together.
Taking the time to reflect on where we have come from and reaffirm our beliefs will allow us to continue our work moving into the next 10 years. Although things might not look like they always did in the past, it is our life’s goal to continue our work. We are excited for what the future holds…
