Clarkston FC: Let's Make Their Dream a Reality
Last fall, Clarkston went undefeated to claim the State Division II Championship, earning an invitation to compete at the highest level in their division. Now, we’re bringing people together to make a real difference by raising the funds needed to send this team on a life-changing experience that will help shape them for years to come. And you can help in a meaningful way right now.
Clarkston FC: Let's Make Their Dream a Reality
An unlikely story. CFC goes undefeated!
This isn’t your average community. And it certainly isn’t your average club soccer team.
Clarkston is located in Metro Atlanta and it’s been referred to as, “the most diverse square mile in America,” by Time Magazine. In the time Soccer in the Streets has been around, Clarkston has welcomed more than 40,000 refugees from over fifty countries around the world.
Clarkston FC is a boys team that’s part of Soccer in the Streets’ Community Program, and they have an incredible opportunity to represent their community and state at Regionals this summer.
But we need your help to make it happen.
Clarkston's community program is a direct result of tournaments like ATL Champions League where extraordinary people register to play & raise money to provide these programs at no cost to the kids or their families.
The players range from 16 to 18 years old. But unlike other high-priced clubs, these players do not have the same resources to travel, spend several nights in a hotel, or buy meals on the road just so they can compete on the pitch.
That’s why we need your help now!
Click to give now!
Last fall, Clarkston went undefeated to claim the State Division II Championship, earning an invitation to compete at the highest level in their division. Now we’re bringing people together to make a real difference by raising the funds needed to send this team on a life-changing experience that will help shape them for years to come. And you can help in a meaningful way right now.
Every dollar you raise or donate will help us cover things like meals, transportation and hotel rooms. You’ll help ensure that every kid in our program has access to the beautiful game and a committed coach to positively influence them both as players and young adults.
CFC at practice
Unfortunately, facing adversity is nothing new for these players. Due to the political and social climate in their respective countries, most of them arrived in the United States after receiving refugee status. These teenagers and their families experienced a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
Coach Abdul reminds us that their challenges didn’t stop when they arrived in the United States.
“Arriving in a country where you have no friends, the language is different, the food is different, and the way of life is different. These are some challenges these kids face," said Coach Abdul. “Thankfully, through soccer, we all speak and understand the same language,"
Together, we can generate enough support to make their dreams a reality and not only send this team to Regionals but create more life-changing opportunities for all of the kids in our programs.
For reference, you can see a breakdown of some of our costs below:
- Rooms : 10 rooms x $150/night x 5 days = $7,500
- Food & drinks (estimate): $30/day/person. Maximum $30/day x 24 people x 5 days = $3,600
- Van Rental: Estimated at $1,500
- Coach Fees: $600 each = $1,200
- Gas, Parking fees, laundry, misc = $1,000
- Total Estimate: $14,800
“March To The Stadium”
Sons of Pitches FC and Soccer in the Streets are teaming up for the Champion The Youth Tournament, a seven- a side tournament. The main objective of the event is to raise funds to purchase tickets to an Atlanta United soccer game and provide cluster camps for the High School soccer teams from Washington High School, Carver High School, and Maynard Jackson High School soccer teams.
Sons of Pitches FC and Soccer in the Streets are teaming up for the Champion The Youth Tournament, a seven- a side tournament. The main objective of the event is to raise funds to purchase tickets to an Atlanta United soccer game and provide cluster camps for the High School soccer teams from Washington High School, Carver High School, and Maynard Jackson High School soccer teams.
Soccer in the Streets currently runs free soccer programs in multiple elementary schools in Atlanta Public Schools that feed into the Washington High School and Carver High School clusters and were recently presented with the Community Service Partnership award at the 2017-2018 Atlanta Public Schools Coca-Cola Scholar-Athlete Awards Ceremony. A partnership that has been years in the making and continues to grow each year.
Soccer in the Streets is teaming up with Sons of Pitches to make this happen to continue to build the cultural soccer foundation and a pipeline from elementary to high school.
“We want to provide a game day experience to get the teens excited about soccer, engaged in supporting their city's professional team, as well as highlight the perseverance and hard work these kids have put in this season”, said Lauren Glancy, Soccer in the Streets’ Director. The end goal is to have the Washingtons, Carvers, and Maynards be competitive with the Gradys, North Atlanta, and Decatur's of the city in the next few years.
Sons of Pitches FC started from a rooftop soccer idea in metro Atlanta. Then evolved into the adult leagues, pick up soccer games, and social soccer events. As the company partners with community schools and organizations that offer free soccer programs for youth players, their mission is, “To make soccer accessible for the entire community by fostering a shared passion for the sport and providing dedicated active spaces for the game.”
As part of the Soccer in the Streets’ LifeWorks Program, the goal is to introduce the youth to new life experiences; and what better way to do that than attending a professional soccer game in their own backyard.
Chris Wedge, co-founder of SOPFC, says, “It’s the Champions March because that’s what these kids are. They may not have the trophy to prove it, but they have the grit of champions. With each loss, they get right back up and practice harder.”
On July 15th, these players will have the opportunity to march to the Mercedes Benz Stadium with the local supporter groups and really get a feel for the soccer climate in Atlanta.
Event Details:
-Champion the Youth 7 v 7 Tournament
- Washington High School,1002 Beckwith St SW Atlanta, GA 30314
- Saturday, May 19th, 2018
Atlanta United Game
Sunday, July 15th, 2018 @ 2:00 PM
ATL United vs Seattle Sounders
If you want to become a champion, sign up below!
http://www.sonsofpitchesfc.com/page/
The Soccer Journey of Kwaku
From Station Soccer youth training on the weekends, 12-year-old Kwaku found his passion through Soccer in the Streets’ community-based programs. He now plays for the College Park Westside program under Coaches Abu Tommy, Adnan, and Kiambi Yamani. Additionally, Kwaku continues to practice one on one with Coach Joel on the weekends at Station Soccer. He has been with Soccer in the Streets for two years while attending Georgia Cyber Academy in South Atlanta.
From Station Soccer youth training on the weekends, 12-year-old Kwaku found his passion through Soccer in the Streets’ community-based programs. He now plays for the College Park Westside program under Coaches Abu Tommy, Adnan, and Kiambi Yamani. Additionally, Kwaku continues to practice one on one with Coach Joel on the weekends at Station Soccer. He has been with Soccer in the Streets for two years while attending Georgia Cyber Academy in South Atlanta.
Training with Coach Joel at Station Soccer is where Kwaku began his soccer journey. But having access to MARTA is what allowed him to enjoy soccer at an affordable price without the added obstacle of needing his own means of transportation. Now, Kwaku can easily hop on a train to enjoy one-on-one training with coach Joel. But Station Soccer provides much more than a place to play.
Coach Joel has influenced Kwaku greatly in the soccer world, adding that he has improved a lot lately. His biggest improvement has been confidence in his decision making and general ball skills. He speaks highly of Kwaku’s confidence because, not only has he gotten better skill wise, but now he has the belief to try and experiment with different things.
Socially, he enjoys Soccer in the Streets because he is able to play soccer in a safe place with his wonderful coaches while meeting new friends. He has fallen in love with Soccer in the Streets since the beginning because of the atmosphere; the program has impacted him tremendously. So far, Kwaku has learned self-discipline, life skills and the ability to focus better.
In the classroom, he behaves better with his classmates and teachers. Kwaku also applies what he learns at Soccer in the Streets – respect, perseverance, and how to handle adversity – in the household as well. He is so passionate about his future and playing soccer at a high level that he even goes out to Station Soccer training on Sundays in the rain. He says, “I love soccer no matter what. I play in the sun all the time so what if there is rain, that shouldn’t matter.”
Ka Ntru, the father of the young soccer star, knows that Soccer in the Streets is where his son needs to be playing. He values that the program is beneficial to him, socially and physically. He sees that his leadership skills have improved inside the classroom and at home, too. As an only child, Kwaku values his relationship with his father. He is developing great discipline skills and Ka enjoys that Kwaku is learning important life lessons from these coaches. He has adjusted well from the Station Soccer training to the community-based program because of the fundamentals that coaches teach his son.