By Paul Caccamo
Back-to-school means millions of children playing soccer on shorter and chillier autumn afternoons. This is a particularly busy time for me, as I endeavor to be sure that our soccer programs reach children in some of the most disadvantaged communities in this country. But my success is probably not too different from many leagues whether they play on artificial turf or on a concrete inner-city lot. It depends on building partnerships throughout our communities that provide our young athletes everything from healthy snacks to transportation during game days.
Partnerships are crucial to making our sport accessible. America SCORES programs partner with public schools to recruit players as well as teachers who might be interested in coaching the game. Given the current awareness of childhood obesity as epidemic, schools welcome opportunities to make their youth more physically active. In addition, studies suggest that student athletes have better attendance and get along better with their peers. Giving teachers the opportunity to be coaches enables them to bond with students outside of the classroom. They also are important role models who can demonstrate the positive attributes of being athletes off the field. After the Columbine massacre in Colorado, a study found that students were more likely to turn to a coach than another member of their school faculty in times of crises. Partnering with schools helps to build this coaching staff, and partnering with organizations like the Positive Coaching Alliance and NSCAA ensures that our coaches have appropriate training and certifications to positively impact our youth on the field and off.
Local businesses are also significant allies in our promotion of the game. Employees welcome opportunities to volunteer in a young person's life, and soccer is an ideal icebreaker. Volunteers assist our kids in practices, drills and even as game-day referees. These interactions often result in employees becoming mentors in young players' lives. Businesses also look for ways to visibly improve the quality of life in their communities. Sponsoring local soccer teams is effective because soccer is an accessible sport that unites all ethnic backgrounds. Businesses also can contribute in-kind products, like snacks, equipment, and achievement awards. With the growth of the game in the United States, many employees have children who play soccer and may be inspired to organize gently-used uniform and equipment drives.
Parks departments are also crucial to our success. For many urban youth, soccer fields are often makeshift parking lots, streets, and even school hallways. By partnering with parks, we provide children access to real playing fields. More importantly, we provide parks departments the opportunity to fulfill their mission of making public land truly accessible. Nothing symbolizes community more strongly than seeing a community park filled with cheering soccer moms. Our leagues help parks departments achieve this goal.
We also partner with professional teams. Students need chances to meet professional players and be inspired by attending a game. At the same time, leagues such as MLS and USL need to build their fan base. Together we achieve both goals by organizing player appearances, game day ticket discounts, half-time activities, and welcome announcements. Local businesses may also sponsor our teams to attend a game and may even chaperone the youth, creating enriching volunteer experiences for their employees.
The first step to achieving any partnership is, of course, to ask. Call on the public school principal, local business leaders, the parks commissioner's office, or your professional team. Know that you have something very valuable to bring to the table in any potential partnership: children who are not just the future of the game, but also the future of the country. As soccer becomes more visible, the wider community will continue to support this sport as an effective way to contribute to positive youth development.
Paul Caccamo is president of America SCORES, an afterschool program that links literacy to soccer. Founded in 1994, America Scores is now the largest soccer program serving urban public schools and includes 14 city affiliate programs across the nation. Community, corporate, school and soccer partnerships have been a key component of America Scores' success. For more information, visit www.americascores.org .