Soccer in the Streets Builds Keystone Program

For years, the Keystone Apartments in Jonesboro, GA - a low-income community with a diverse population - was a neighbor of the original Soccer in the Streets offices and home to a league of youngsters that played soccer regularly.

Despite having little background in the sport, the residents with guidance from hard-working volunteers connected to the sport and formed several competitive teams that participated in several tournaments across the city.

The Keystone Program became a cornerstone of the Soccer in the Streets initiative.

But over time, as children and their families moved, interest waned and the leagues broke up. Several members of the Keystone team earned their referee's licenses and a few went on to join premier-level teams in and around Atlanta, but for the most part, the Keystone teams dissolved.

"At one time there were a couple loosely-formed teams that would go to one or more Soccer in the Streets events every year," Soccer in the Streets program Project Manager Jill D. Robbins said. "But over time there weren't enough resources to keep soccer going at Keystone."

But over the past six month, Robbins said, Soccer in the Streets programs have experienced a resurgence at Keystone, thanks to the energy of local coordinator Coach Harvey Robbins and the financial assistance from apartment community owner Greg Tarbutton.

Soccer is back at Keystone.

"Because Greg and some apartment staff members pushed the program this time around, we sometimes saw more than 30 children at the outset filling up the little baseball field beside Keystone," Robbins said.

Coach Robbins, Tarbutton and Soccer in the Streets coordinators ensured the participation of the players by maintaining an attendance record and rewarding attendees with their own soccer ball and shoes.

In November 2001, the local soccer association coordinated a tournament and included the Keystone players. To ensure parental involvement with their program, organizers required parents or guardians to attend a practice and sign the necessary paperwork.

Soccer in the Streets Robbins said in this way the cost to parents was only their time, as the cost of participating in the Lovejoy tournament was footed by organizers.

"It was a great turnout of parents and players," Robbins said. "The parents of the younger kids even made sure that they had some sort of refreshments for their games."

"The older kids' moms stayed and helped coach," she said.

Since November, the Keystone pick-up games have continued, and since the beginning of 2002, the participants have pressed coordinators to extend practice days up to two per week, from the earlier one day per week schedule.

More than 20 children continue to participate and they have started having pick-up games on off-practice days in the lots between the apartment buildings. Upper-level organizers have sponsored nine Keystone players and four of those play on select Atlanta-area teams.

Organizers say that there are still rough times: when children have to sit out practices for negative behavior at home or school, or when Coach Robbins presses the young players to stay out of trouble and act responsibly.

But the players' moms love it.

"One of the most important things about the success of the Keystone program," Project Manager Robbins said, "is that most of these children who were not familiar with the sport of soccer have really caught on."

"Some of the most rebellious of the children who were resistant to playing in the beginning, now play for the friendly competition and the fun of it," Robbins said. "It's taken time but this team exemplifies the success of Soccer in the Streets programs and initiatives.”

Soccer in the Streets’ newest program, Street-Box™, will introduce enclosed and fully functioning soccer facilities to under-served and economically depressed neighborhoods throughout Atlanta.