Public Transport Becomes Lifeblood for West End Grandmother
Social mobility has always been one of the goals at StationSoccer - Cheryl Gordon, a West End grandmother, and her 6-year-old grandson Carter take the MARTA bus from their home to the StationSoccer-West End pitch for practices and games.
West End grandmother Cheryl and grandson Carter exiting the MARTA bus for youth practice
Social mobility has always been one of the goals at StationSoccer - Cheryl Gordon, a West End grandmother, and her 6-year-old grandson Carter take the MARTA bus from their home to the StationSoccer-West End pitch for practices and games.
Carter's mother learned about Soccer in the Streets online and instantly wanted to be a part of it. He has been a member of the West End youth program for over a year. She wanted her sons to be a part of this particular soccer program because it is in their neighborhood.
“This program fits perfectly with their needs. His mother is working all day and throughout the afternoon so I'm able to step in and take him on the MARTA bus which is not even a block away from our house,” said Cheryl. “Then we are able to walk straight to the fields without any issues. The fields couldn’t get closer to the people in the community than being located at the MARTA Station.”
Cheryl and Carter at West End youth practice
This specific route has proved to be safe and exactly what this family needs to be able to attend practice for the Soccer in the Streets youth program.
Public transport is the lifeblood for many of our communities in being able to work, live and play! Through our partnership with Atlanta United Foundation, the City of Atlanta Planning Department, Transformation Alliance, MARTA and a host of other community partners we are able to provide safe spaces for soccer programs that are connected. The bus and train network provides a key answer to the transportation hurdle to so many underserved youth across the country.
Looking forward, we are excited to provide programs at more stations and connect more families like the Gordon’s, who will now be able to also travel to other StationSoccer locations via MARTA and play against other communities.
“The fields are beautiful and this space used to be empty and useless. Now it’s turned into a sanctuary for the kids and community,” said Gordon.
This program means a lot to the West End family, and now that the MARTA bus routes are back up and running, Carter can play soccer and hang out with his friends. If you take the bus or the train, we want to ensure that all children in metro Atlanta have the same opportunity.
Click here below to learn more about our youth programs and the MARTA bus routes. Join us in using MARTA!
Westside Program Flourishes In The Last Year
Vine City, two miles west of Downtown Atlanta, has long been a part of Soccer in the Streets due to its proximity to Mercedes Benz Stadium, home of Atlanta United. We've brought in kids from the local areas to participate in a diverse soccer program. Vine City Youth Program has become a second home for many young players, including children of various ethnicities and ages.
Vine City, two miles west of Downtown Atlanta, has long been a part of Soccer in the Streets due to its proximity to Mercedes Benz Stadium, home of Atlanta United. We've brought in kids from the local areas to participate in a diverse soccer program. Vine City Youth Program has become a second home for many young players, including children of various ethnicities and ages.
This particular curriculum has flourished in the last year, with an influx of children enrolling. In previous years, the program had 15-20 children, but now it has 60.
One in particular that has been around for years is Angelica, a U16 girls program participant. She has been a part of the program since she was four years old.
Vine City Player, Angelica defending player during practice
“I have really enjoyed my time with this program and all that it has to offer,” said Angelica. “I have made many friends within the program and am thankful to have the opportunity to get outside and play in a safe environment.”
As the program has grown, it has relocated from Vine City Park to JFK Park, where they can play on a turf field with plenty of room.
“This field has become my second home and the coaches have become role models,” said Angelica. “I currently play with a co-ed team but that doesn’t stop me from playing with the guys. I’ve adapted and built a great skill set playing against them.”
The field serves as a haven not only for the players but also for the coaches. They've made a lot of progress over the years in terms of leading and directing young players in the right direction.
Vine City Program Manager, Sean Irving, has seen just that as he has led this program for two years now.
“Enthusiasm for our program has grown a lot in the last few seasons. We had just set a registration record before the pandemic hit. Our momentum got derailed a bit during quarantine but now we are back on track. Our core group has grown a lot. I can see the foundation of a lasting community club starting to solidify,” said Irving.
Coach Irving with players at practice
“The rise in numbers has not really affected their attitudes. Strong participation makes it easier for me to recruit new players and retain old ones. However, We still are working through familiar issues with our players. Sportsmanship, self-control, focus, and self-discipline are our biggest challenges.”
Irving has pushed his players to adapt and develop. The goal is to develop young community leaders who can serve as role models for children of all ages.
“We are working to build and promote a strong soccer culture around the whole westside. I envision marrying soccer culture with Atlanta sports culture to help grow the sport. Imagine team parades on Marta, ATL-centric team chants & songs, community pride soccer gear, and drumline battles at halftime!” Irving continues, “I also want to start organizing community youth tailgate parties for Atlanta United and other pro soccer matches. If we can create a strong culture around the sport we can eventually compete with football & basketball.”
This program will skyrocket in success. Irving and the other coaches will keep working hard to keep the players involved in soccer activities, which will keep their minds off the streets and help them grow their character.
Bringing the Community Together at StationSoccer- Lindbergh
StationSoccer- Lindbergh is our fourth pitch in the “League of Stations”. We are excited to announce that we are fully programming our first youth program out at the fields with 90 kids signed up for the spring season.
The first in-house matches took place this past month with a great turnout for the start of a Lindbergh community. As well, we are still continuing our youth programming with COVID safety precautions in place.
Lindbergh Youth Players at practice
StationSoccer- Lindbergh is our fourth pitch in the “League of Stations”. We are excited to announce that we are fully programming our first youth program out at the fields with 90 kids signed up for the spring season.
The first in-house matches took place this past month with a great turnout for the start of a Lindbergh community. As well, we are still continuing our youth programming with COVID safety precautions in place.
Soccer in the Streets has a history of working in the area already with great partnerships in place through a collaboration with Garden Hills Elementary School, Agape Youth and Family Center, and LaAmistad. The strengths of these local community partnerships mean the kids from these local schools and centers have filtered into the Soccer in the Streets Lindbergh youth program and this pitch is now a place where people can call it their second home.
An influential person that has been working alongside our organization is, Garden Hill’s Teacher and LaAmistad after school Director, Katie Carlson. Katie was introduced to Soccer in the Streets in 2017 when we started our school program at Garden Hills. She started coaching for the organization and knew this is where her students needed to be.
Coach Katie Carlson with youth players
“I have never played soccer before, but watched my students play every day at recess and knew this was something that Garden Hills students needed,” said Carlson. “I signed up to be a coach and recruited as many players as the program could handle.”
She also stated- “A couple of years later, I was looking for a PE coach for LaAmistad Summer Camp and had the brilliant idea to reach out to Soccer in the Streets Program Manager, Jorge Ortiz, to see if the organization would want to work with us. After lots of planning and scheduling, we ended up with the amazing Coach Antman full-time. He became part of our LaAmistad family in no time. The relationships he formed with our students were so powerful. He not only coached soccer but was such a positive role model to so many.”
The connection was growing on and off the field between the kids and the organization. When the idea that StationSoccer- Lindbergh was going to be built, Carlson and Ortiz both knew this would be a perfect space for the kids.
“This field will provide our students with a safe place to play soccer, interact with peers, learn about teamwork, and just simply a place to feel a sense of belonging. When you are at the fields as the players arrive, you will see the kids running out of the cars so excited to see their friends and get on the field” said Carlson. “ You will also see whole families gathering with chairs and blankets and snacks. This is a place that has truly brought our community together in just one month. I can’t wait to see how much it grows. I know there will be a lot of great memories made here.”
Coach Calrson helping with Slices & Strikes
Over the summer when COVID hit, the partnership kept striving on. We introduced a special project called Slices & Strikes where the youth players were able to come out and pick up pizza during the pandemic. This project was especially important because we were able to interact with the kids even though they weren’t able to play soccer. In addition, we worked closely with AGAPE on providing virtual soccer lessons for elementary students.
“Despite COVID and the difficult year, SITS continued to support our students through the Slices and Strikes program, providing virtual soccer lessons and even tutoring programs”, said Carlson. “To say that the kids are excited about having the opportunity to be on a soccer team again is a complete understatement. Soccer has been the topic of conversation in my 4th-grade class every day since the season began. Soccer was all students would talk to me about when they see me in the hallway and during LaAmistad tutoring.”
With the field shining light on the youth players’ lives and the surrounding community we are excited to see what the future holds at this location!
“Not only are the students extremely happy, but the parents are equally as thankful for this opportunity to get their kids outside and exercising”, said Carlson. “This is truly the first sign of “normalcy” that we have had in about a year and it brings me so much joy. I am honored to be part of this organization for almost 5 years now.”
