The Sky Is The Limit

With Soccer in the Streets, the Sky Is the Limit

Four seasons of soccer have helped transform Paris Scott. With no local opportunity to play the sport she loves, the Soccer in the Streets program at M. Agnes Jones Elementary School has provided a needed outlet for Paris and other youngsters in the Ashview Heights section of Atlanta.

Alberta Lyons was new to soccer and didn’t know where or how to get her daughter involved. When she discovered Soccer in the Streets, she knew it would be the perfect fit for Paris. The program has provided Paris, as well as the other youth at M.A. Jones, the opportunity to learn the game. An unintended benefit for Paris has been learning to work with others and to operate in a team environment, which are invaluable skills later in life.

Through the support of the Blank Family Foundation, Soccer in the Streets is able to provide access to the beautiful game to schools such as MA Jones at no cost. The Foundation has supported multiple schools that feed into our Westside community programs so when the school season is over, the players have another soccer outlet and safe place to play.

“As an M.A. Jones soccer mom, I have seen my daughter grow into an all-around athlete,” Alberta Lyons said. “Paris is given the chance to play the sport she wants to play in a community where soccer was just not accessible.”

Interest in soccer has taken root on the Westside of Atlanta over the past two years due to these free youth soccer programs and the continued opportunities outside of the school season in the Westside communities. Initially starting in six Atlanta Public School elementary schools in Fall 2016, Soccer in the Streets has scaled to three more APS schools during the 2017-2018 school year and will expand to one more in the Fall of 2018.

Ryan Harry, a physical education teacher at M.A. Jones, is also a coach with Soccer in the Streets. Over two seasons with the program, he has absorbed the game’s techniques and picked up important pointers under the tutelage of the skilled Soccer in the Streets staff and coaches.

“Soccer in the Streets has made the great game of soccer accessible to our students,” Harry said. “Ninety-nine percent of our players would have zero access to an organized soccer league if this program didn’t exist.”

Harry has had a unique perspective -- first as the physical education teacher, now as a soccer coach -- watching his players hone their soccer skills, gain an understanding of the Laws of the Game, and witness them maturing inability and sportsmanship. And one of his most impressive players through the past four years has been Paris Lyons, budding soccer star.

Soccer in the Streets has a unique approach to soccer: Helping players learn and perfect new soccer skills while they gain insight into what it takes to succeed as a single player in a team game. Success on the field -- whether via results or individual achievement and development -- can have untold benefits later in life.

Improvement and enthusiasm permeate the soccer program at M.A. Jones Elementary.

“At the beginning of the season, M.A. Jones was still learning basic drills, such as dribbling and passing,” Garrick Dawson, the school’s program manager, said. “As the year progressed I saw improvement during each session. Not only was the improvement seen in the players, but also in Coach Harry. Participation has always been consistently high at M.A. Jones and it is actually a privilege to be on their team.”

The collaboration between M.A. Jones and Soccer in the Streets is only one example of how the organization can build and enhance the lives of students and faculty through soccer -- building skills, teamwork, and self-esteem in healthy and enjoyable settings. Who knows? Paris could one day find herself playing the game at a high level. The sky is the limit.

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Free Soccer in the Streets World Cup Wall Chart and Sweepstake 2018

Have some fun with the Soccer in the Streets World Cup Wall Chart. Enter the scores as they happen and see what it all means. Or use the chart as a predictor by predicting the scores to see how it will all shake out.

You can also run a sweepstake. Get people to pull out country names from a hat and use the Sweepstake tab to track who has what country.

1. Download the free Soccer in the Streets World Cup here (.xls)
2. Enter the scores on the "Input Scores Here" tab 
3. View the scenarios on the other two tabs

What are you waiting for? Have some fun with friends or co-workers.

ATL United Player Appearance: Romario Williams

Training would be a little different today for the Bellwood Boys and Girls Cup, a Soccer in the Streets community-based program, on Thursday, May 3. As the players started to gather around the field a new player joined the group - Atlanta United player Romario Williams.

Williams, in his first season with United and third in MLS, joined training and spoke with the players about his soccer journey from Jamaica to North America and making it as a professional athlete.

The 23-year old Portmore, Jamaica native started his career at the age of three. Raised in a soccer-oriented family, he followed his passion for the game that has taken him from his home country to college at the University of Central Florida to the professional ranks as well as onto the international stage as a member of the Jamaican National Team.

“If you love the sport to keep playing. Act on it with the same confidence and motivation, just as you would in the classroom. If this is something you want as your career then take the necessary work to be successful,” Williams told the Soccer in the Street youth players.

For Williams, the biggest positive is that he has been able to realize his dream of becoming a professional athlete. That dream allows for him to take care of his entire family, not only his kids and his wife but his parents, too.

But it hasn’t been an easy road.

On the field, the game in Jamaica was more physical and more difficult than in the United States. He learned how to play “street soccer” back home, which helped him adapt to the soccer culture in America. So, he is able to relate to the youth players at Soccer in the Streets because he understands what is involved in adapting to different cultures as well as different styles of play.

The transition was also challenging off the field has had to leave his family and friends to pursue his soccer dream. He also had to adapt to a number of different cultures throughout his journey from college in Florida to play in the USL in South Carolina to play in Montreal, before landing in Atlanta this season. But thanks to a support of teammates and coaches over the course of his journey, he’s been able to handle the many changes. He also turned to his faith to provide him strength and guidance through the process.

One other key has been the Five P’s motto: proper preparation prevents poor performance. These five P’s have been instrumental in his success.

For the Bellwood Boys and Girls Club, that only started seven months ago in November 2017, having a professional player come and meet with them was inspirational.

“Romario William’s appearance at the Bellwood Boys and Girls Club was a great experience for the kids in the program,” said Toussaint McClure, Soccer in the Streets, Community Program. “Most of the kids in the program started playing soccer last November and have never seen a professional soccer game. Williams connected with the kids on a personal level when he talked about his background, and his presence at the Bellwood practice inspired the kids to continue playing soccer for years to come.”

The Soccer in the Streets Bellwood program started in November 2017. The purpose of the program is to give kids access to soccer in a community that is dominated by basketball and football. Most of the kids in the Bellwood program had never played soccer before the program was launched and it has been a pleasure seeing their progression over the past six months.  For the spring season, the Bellwood Falcons, coached by Ermias Sium and Muhoza Valence, practiced twice a week and played two games against the Soccer in the Streets Oakland City Raiders.