Street Soccer USA – Portland Gears up for Their First Social Change Cup!
As the soccer world gears up for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Street Soccer USA- Portland is following suit with their 1st ever Social Change Cup to raise funds and awareness for the city’s homeless and refugee populations.
Current Portland Timbers defender, Zarek Valentin and ex-captain, Jack Jewsbury are among those supporting the tournament held at Portland Futsal. The tournament will include a game on Sunday, June 3 with a team of local soccer celebrities and public officials playing against young men and women experiencing homelessness from Street Soccer USA- Portland’s Young Adult Program.
Teams can enter across men’s and women’s, coed and youth boys’ and girls’ divisions. Adam Lewis, who founded the Portland branch of Street Soccer USA in January of 2017, comments: “Our goal is to use soccer, a pillar of community here in Portland, to address our city’s greatest challenges. Street Soccer is about building healthy relationships and creating the space for our participants to play for more—whether that is finishing school, completing rehabilitation, securing a family-supporting job or finding a place to call home.”
Timbers defender Zarek Valentin adds: “Living and playing in Portland I know exactly how important soccer is here. Street Soccer does an amazing job using the power of the game to create a sporting outlet and much-needed program funds for homeless and refugee communities in our city.”
Street Soccer USA-Portland’s expansion began in 2017 and focuses on three key activations that all use soccer to help Portland’s diverse communities discover their strengths, take positive steps forward in their lives and connect to social service agencies—ultimately providing pathways out of poverty and toward self-sufficiency.
“Thanks to Street Soccer I became more social and friendly with people,” says Sergei, a team leader for the Portland branch who will compete in the Cup. “We all bring something unique to the team, no matter what we do or where we are.”
One of Lewis’ biggest goals for the Portland Social Change Cup is to unite Portland communities often isolated from each other, to increase awareness of issues like homelessness and poverty, but also just to have fun.
“We’re trying to provide an opportunity for community to interact with populations they normally wouldn’t,” says Lewis. “It’s quite literally a leveling of the playing field. It’s a way to get involved, just by playing soccer.”
