Street Soccer USA

Hi! Ashley here, to rave about Street Soccer USA. As mentioned in the about me section under meet the founder, I am the chapter lead here in Austin. Way back in 2016, I lived in a far away land called San Francisco. Any time I could, I would explore the city by foot. During one of my expeditions, on a perfect weather day, I stumbled upon soccer being played in Union Square. First thought was how do I play? I quickly realized it was an event hosted by this group called Street Soccer USA. Through an immediate google search I learned that it was a non profit working to combat poverty through the game of soccer. My heart exploded! The video below is a look at the 2018 Cup in L.A.

A little side trail:

In Orlando and San Francisco I intentionally carried PB&Js regularly as a way to show people who were unhoused love. In Austin, I carry water bottles and snack bars. Food is a love language, I firmly believe that. When I lived in San Francisco, I'd walk a lot with PB&Js in my backpack and I would dream of solving all of the city's struggles when it came to the unhoused community. I would think back to when my own biological mother relied on The Salvation Army in Orlando because she was unhoused (more on that some other day). I would spend time trying to figure out how to connect with them beyond the sandwich and maybe a simple conversation. My actual day job at that time was in an operating room, I worked a lot, and I had no clue where to begin.

Then I came across Street Soccer USA. This group was actively connecting with people who were marginalized beyond handing out sandwiches as they walked through their own lives. It was through the sport that provided me an immense amount of joy and a slew of other intangibles. The thing I love being around and involved in most in life: soccer! Then I moved to Austin in 2017. Then the pandemic hit in 2020. Then the pandemic continued, but we as a world started figuring out how to live within it. Then, in 2022, I reached out to SSUSA and said "Hey! I want to bring this to Austin. Is it possible and if so how do we do this?"

*That is a cliff notes version to save your eyeballs a little bit, obviously a lot happened between 2017 and 2022

Co-Founder Rob Cann responded, ended up moving to Austin from The Bay Area later in 2022, and here we are in 2023 closer and closer to launching in ATX. Exciting things are on the horizon and this lady here, writing this blog, is overflowing with excitement for what's to come.

So, what is this Street Soccer USA thing and what's the goal in Austin you ask? Great question and thanks for asking!

Street Soccer USA is a national non profit that is strengthening cities through soccer from the bottom up. It is in sixteen cities some of which are San Francisco, L.A., Sacramento, New York City, Kona, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Chicago, and soon to be in San Diego and Austin. The goal is to provide an alternative to the pay to play model and as I like to put it, support a growth environment and cheer on people as they flex their super powers. In each city, the model fits the needs. From after school programs, annual events that shut down Time Square, and community based programs, SSUSA is positively impacting the lives of hundreds of people. This video is a look into one of the lives impacted:

In Austin, we are currently focused on building out our local board, continuing to deepen our relationships in the communities around Austin, and we are actively searching for a spot to build our first Street Soccer USA Park.

I dream big. Therefore, the dreams for this chapter in Austin are big. I dream of shutting down Congress for an annual event. I dream of this chapter being in partnership with other people and groups that are living life in ways to positively impact AMPAP (as many people as possible - see what I did there? Where are my CrossFit athletes at?!). These dreams are not just dreams, they are goals. Long term goals. I’ve learned that being a part of a project from the ground up will have both goals and dreams. I have created two buckets for this: goals ( tangible items that are being worked on now: building the board, finding a location to build the first park, continuing to grow relationships in the community) and dreams (currently intangible items that will be worked on after launching: shutting down Congress and being in the mix with some of the biggest groups who are leading change).

In getting to know Rob over the last year and a half, it is clear that he has a massive heart and that Street Soccer USA is led by people who deeply love others, care about the community, and live out The Do Good Method. I encourage you to learn more about Street Soccer USA by visiting their website and following them on their social media platforms.

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If you are in Austin and want to be involved, please reach out! We have been building our list of people who want to be involved and when we get launched, we are going to be a force for good through soccer with all of the people who are with us.

Before we part ways on this first Monday in December, thanks for spending some of your time reading this post. Until next time, I wish you a stellar week!

-Ashley =)