Viewing Guide: Atlanta's Summer of Soccer
The beautiful game is always more fun with friends.
With Copa America Centenario, The Olympic Games, Euro 2016 and more on tap during the Summer of Soccer, we put together a handy Soccer in the Streets Viewing Guide to give you a heads up on where to join the party while making a difference in the lives of Atlanta’s youth.
We’ll keep our list updated as watch parties happen, new events pop up, and an exciting Summer of Soccer unfolds across the world.
If you’d rather get on the field, you can find us at Woodruff Park EVERY Tuesday night for free pickup games. Player registration is also open for our first-ever ATL Nations Cup, a five-a-side charity tournament that takes place July 2 at Grady Stadium.
ENGLAND-RUSSIA WATCH PARTY AT RI RA ATLANTA
Saturday, June 11 | 3 PM | 1080 Peachtree St NE #1
EURO action picks up this week, and we’re starting off at Ri Ra Irish Pub for England-Russia in the group stage. You could score an autographed Steven Gerrard jersey in a raffle to benefit our youth programs. Drink and food specials will also be available for everyone in attendance.
COPA AMERICA AT THE IMPERIAL
From June 3 — June 26 / 726 W College Ave, Decatur
For those looking to catch Copa America’s 100th edition, The Imperial plans to support youth soccer outreach with $1 donated from EVERY Bud Light draft sold during the tournament.
BEER, CHEESE, SOCCER + ATL NATIONS CUP
Saturday, July 2 / Park Tavern / TICKETS / ATL NC SIGNUP
BEER, CHEESE, SOCCER’s first edition takes place just after our brand-newATL Nations Cup tournament. Once the tournament wraps up at Grady Stadium, the party crosses the street for food, drinks, and soccer from around the world. A EURO quarterfinal match will be on display, along with live video from the Soccer in the Streets delegation at streetfootballworld’s Festival 16 in France.
EURO 2016 AT THREE TAVERNS BREWERY
June 10 — July 10 / 121 New St, Decatur
Enjoy a Three Taverns tour and tasting session while watching the brewery’s watch party games (listed above). Three Taverns’ Regular Tour price of $14 includes tastings for up to 36 ounces of our beer on tap and a souvenir glass. $2 from each person’s tour fee will go to support our organization!
EURO FINAL AT FADO
Sunday, July 10 / 3 PM / 273 Buckhead Avenue Atlanta
Along with leading the Ireland side in this summer’s ATL Nations Cup tournament, Fado Atlanta will host a watch party and multi-day event when UEFA crowns the 2016 European champions. We’ll be in attendance with a raffles, an information table, and giveaways — stay tuned for more details!
Inaugural ATL Nations Cup tournament and Beer, Cheese, Soccer festival set to highlight Atlanta's diversity
To celebrate Atlanta’s thriving soccer culture and vibrant international community, Soccer in the Streets has launched a new summer benefit tournament and festival that will connect representatives from various countries around a shared love of the beautiful game.
Presented by Global Atlanta, the inaugural ATL Nations Cup tournament kicks off Saturday, July 2 at Grady Stadium, with a start time of 10:30 a.m. A Beer, Cheese, Soccer festival and UEFA EURO 2016 watch party — hosted byPark Tavern and the French-American Chamber of Commerce — will immediately follow the tournament.
Following the record-breaking success of ATL Champions League and Black Tie Soccer, ATL Nations Cup adds a third major benefit tournament to the Soccer in the Streets event calendar. Based on the ATL Champions League format, ATL Nations Cup features ten teams in five-a-side, co-ed competition and a fundraising challenge to support soccer programs and developmental training for Atlanta’s at-risk youth. Unlike Soccer in the Streets’ other tournaments, ATL Nations Cup players will represent international sides like France, Germany, the United States and more.
“In recent years, the growth of our fundraising tournaments has been through the amazing support of passionate fans in the city wanting to give back to our community,” said Soccer in the Streets events committee chairman Bill Ford. “With our new Nations Cup, we are embracing the strong international representation in our city.”
Player registration is now open for the tournament, and participants are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible to avoid missing the action. Fans will not have to pay an admission price for the ATL Nations Cup tournament, but a ticket is required for the Beer, Cheese, Soccer event that follows.
ATL Nations Cup and the accompanying Beer, Cheese, Soccer party at Park Tavern will celebrate a Soccer in the Streets delegation atstreetfootballworld’s Festival 16. Five young Soccer in the Streets leaders will travel to Lyon, France, for a recognized UEFA EURO event that unites like-minded nonprofit organizations from across the globe to discuss the sport’s power as a tool for social change and development.
“For many, soccer is the international language,” Ford said. “Wherever you travel in the world, that simple round ball has immense power to overcome cultural and socioeconomic barriers. We are creating an event where Atlanta’s international community can demonstrate the power of the beautiful game to bring nations together for a powerful cause.”
After ATL Nations Cup wraps up on the field, Beer, Cheese, Soccer at Park Tavern will give guests a chance to tour the world’s cuisine and quarterfinal matchup from the EURO 2016 tournament. Soccer in the Streets’ delegation will stream video all the way from France to Park Tavern, so party-goers and supporters can see an up-close and personal view of the Festival activities and progress.
To learn more about the new ATL Nations Cup, including leaderboards, rules, and much more, please visit atlnc.soccerstreets.org. Players and supporters can also follow the tournament’s new Twitter and Facebookaccounts for daily updates before, during, and after the competition.
Sports 4 Life grant awarded to Soccer in the Streets for expanded girls programming
ATLANTA - The Women’s Sports Foundation and espnW have recognizedSoccer in the Streets as a 2016 recipient of the Sports 4 Life grant, expanding the organization’s reach with a new program geared toward impacting more girls. One of just 40 organizations to receive the Sports 4 Life grant this year, Soccer in the Streets will continue to provide young women in underserved communities with even more opportunities and access to the sport.
Support from the Sports 4 Life grant will focus on reaching and retaining girls between the ages of 11 and 18 years old with new programming in Sandy Springs, Ga., a city on the northern edge of Atlanta. Young women of all skill levels will have access to Soccer in the Streets’ trained, certified coaches in a friendly environment conducive to quickly learning the game.
“Our organization has dedicated itself to removing those barriers-to-entry that prevent so many from having access to the sport,” said Soccer in the Streets CEO Jill Robbins. “We want to reach all sorts of players — newcomers to the game, especially — and ensure that even more young women have the chance to see the positive impact of participating in soccer.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to expand our work with new programming that uses this Sports 4 Life backing.”
Launched in 2014 as a collaboration between the Women’s Sports Foundation and espnW, Sports 4 Life awarded its first set of grants in 2015 to “create and expand developmental youth sports programs that serve African-American and Hispanic girls.” 22 grantees were selected in 2015, and the Sports 4 Life program grew to 40 organizations this year.
Soccer in the Streets’ Sports 4 Life-fueled expansion becomes the organization’s latest program catered to young women, which made up 40% of the more than 2,000 kids reached during 2015’s regular activities and Street Cups.
Alongside the many co-educational programs during 2016’s spring season, Soccer in the Streets continued to operate Atlanta Public Schools’ middle school girls league, and elementary school play in Clarkston expanded to a dedicated girls division to keep up with growing demand. Soccer in the Streets also frequently teams up with Sporty Girls, Inc. — an Atlanta-based Sports 4 Life grantee from 2015 — assisting with soccer programming at the annual Get Girls Sporty clinic.
Previous soccer-focused Sports 4 Life winners include the Utah Development Academy in Salt Lake City and the Starfinder Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. To check out the progress from the first set of Sports 4 Life winners, head to the grant’s homepage on the Women’s Sports Foundation website.
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