A Summer of Soccer Camps Culminates in Trip to U.S. Women’s National Team Game
There’s an ever-growing demand for Street Soccer USA programming in Philadelphia, and the summer was jam-packed with camps and projects.
Street Soccer USA hosted an all-girls camp throughout the summer of 7-10 year olds who practiced three times a week in the evenings. Many of the girls, mostly coming from West Philadelphia, were participating in soccer for the first time, so the practices were spent learning the fundamentals of the game. In June, the focus was on learning to move a soccer ball around a field, including what part of the foot to use, as well as how to communicate and move as players on the field. As the summer progressed, so did the skills as practices at the Belmond Charter School shifted to learning about passing. And of course there was plenty of time for team parties! The girls will be looking to play their first game this fall!
The highlight of the summer was the trip to see the world champion U.S. Women’s National Team play at Lincoln Financial Field on August 29. The Street Soccer USA participants, who witnessed a 4-0 win by the World Cup champs, were awed at the magnitude of the event, with one commenting that she, “didn’t know this many people would go to a soccer game, or even like soccer!” Philadelphia Board Member Angela Rodriguez facilitated the trip for players, parents and volunteers that led one player to say it was “the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
In addition to the girls program, Street Soccer USA ran a summer camp in Kensington throughout August for 40 kids ages 7-13. The kids came to practices three times a week, and the camps were made possible by a partnership with Kensington Soccer Club.