Bringing Hope, Fun, and Soccer to the Western Addition and Tenderloin Kids

By Roberto Gil, Civic Center Soccer League Program Director

It is increasingly difficult for inner-city kids who live or study within Downtown San Francisco to play outdoor activities since there are not that many fields near them. Kids grow up playing on blacktop and very few public schools have gyms or offer organized sports at the elementary level.  For those of us who grew up playing sports outdoors (whether it was on nice grass or plain dirt), we know that they are missing that natural and adventurous feeling of falling on the grass or getting dirt in their shoes. Even more, many of these kids miss the benefits of playing organized and well structured team sports and the positive outcomes of playing on a team: developing a sense of belonging, learning how to work with others, learning new skills, and learning how to deal with winning and losing.

When trying to offer their students the possibility of playing on a team, after school coordinators face different types of obstacles, the most common being funding.  This has a domino effect on their program, for they cannot afford to hire extra staff members, uniforms, equipment, or transportation to the nearest fields.

At the center of this problem lies the kid who deserves to play, to move, to laugh, to wear their very own jersey and feel part of a team, and who needs to learn important life values that team sports, when conscious and well administered, can provide: teamwork, leadership, commitment, fair-play, and an active lifestyle.

Nevertheless, many after school coordinators from the Tenderloin, Western Addition, and Chinatown Districts are aware of the vital role that sports plays in kids' lives.  America SCORES Bay Area (ASBA) is taking a lead in this matter and, with the collaboration of S.F. Rec & Parks and Coaching Corps, ASBA's Civic Center Soccer League (CCSL) is expanding this year to bring together elementary school boys and girls teams from neighborhoods where outdoor field space is sparse.

As a Program Director for the CCSL, I feel blessed to be part of this important chapter for ASBA as we bridge communities and find the necessary solidarity amongst our staff, volunteers, after-school coordinators, community partners, and coaches to work through many obstacles so kids can have a chance to play on a soccer team. At the same time we are building a family-friendly, healthy environment at the heart of the city.  Childhood education, healthy habits, civic engagement, and community-building are defining characteristics of San Francisco.  What better place to further this ethos?

Have a couple hours on a Friday afternoon? 

Get out and play with us!  We are always on the lookout for soccer coaches and referees to jump in and oversee weekly games from 3:30-5:15pm.

To volunteer, contact Shannon at sburns@americascores.org

SCORES Stretches to El Salvador

This past week a handful of SCORES staff descended on El Salvador to run a week of programming at a school in Las Minas, a small village in the rural district of Chalatenango.

Roberto Gil, Director of Programs in West Contra Costa, organized the trip. Gil has returned to his native El Salvador to run soccer and writing classes for the last six years.

“This is not a trip of charity,” Gil announced on the first day in front of fifty eager Las Minas students, ages six through fifteen. “It is one of solidarity.”

Ernesto Efrain Menjivar Alas, the Vice-Principle of Escuela Canton Las Minas, shows a group of students what a "caballero" looks like.

Gil’s words echoed throughout the week as Las Minas students shared their stories, their food, their families, and their beautiful town with visiting SCORES staff. In turn, SCORES organized activities that involved sharing stories, identifying community problems, and creating solutions.

Soccer, Spelling and SCORES at Summer Learning Day

On Tuesday, June 21st, we gathered at the Civic Center for the Summer Learning Day!  

Summer Learning Day was established by the city to celebrate programs that continue kids’ learning during the summer. It was hosted by The Summer Learning Network, and coordinated by Mo’ Magic.  

SCORES was joined by many other organizations, including our friend the San Francisco Public Library Bookmobile, and about 800 kids enrolled in summer programs across the city.

Over at the SCORES booth, players of all ages joined us to play soccer and try their hand at word games.  While some dribbled and passed with our coaches, other players found words in a soccer ball and learned about healthy foods. For successfully completing the games, players got to spin our poetry wheel to win some great prizes!

 It was great to see some of our SCORES poet-athletes, and to meet some new faces!

-SCORES staff

SCORES Cup Raises Big Sun, Smiles, Sums

On Saturday, June 18th, 16 Bay Area companies slugged it out for charity during the eighth annual SCORES Cup. Bright sunshine and calm breeze graced the 8v8 Co-ed tournament at normally temperamental Crocker Amazon Park.

"Soccer and sunshine, you can't beat that," noted Vince Harrington of Sports Basement, one of the sponsors of the event. 

SCORES Cup players get a laugh over the tournament bracket match-up.

Players gushed about spending valuable social time outside of the office with co-workers.

"Playing soccer is such a good way to meet people from my company," Jiger Kotak said. "I got to come meet people outside of work that I didn't know because Sales Force is such a big company. It was a good way to meet people from different areas of Sales Force, for different departments to come together and have fun."

It's Not Soccer, It's "Pelada"

We're piloting a new recess program at SCORES during the last few weeks of the school year. And by "program" we really mean pick-up soccer, possibly the most universal and simple game on earth.

We're calling these pick-up sessions "Pelada", a Portuguese word that Brazilians use to refer to pick-up soccer. In Portuguese, Pelada means naked.

The game is easy to set up, easy to run, and the rules are simple. We've added a few unique twists of the rules to minimize disagreements, keep the game flowing, and keep the fun levels at a maximum. For example, we don't keep score. Teams are encouraged to restart the game immediately after a goal.

Field Day with Stub Hub at Marshall Elementary

Sixteen volunteers from Stub Hub, the ticket-selling juggernaut, helped run a mini-Field Day at Marshall Elementary in the Mission last Friday.

Some Marshall Elementary kids take cuts as part of an Obstacle Course run by Stub Hub volunteers.

"Stub Hubbers", as Stub Hub employees are known, ran such games as a Relay Race Obstacle Course, a Kids vs. Adults soccer game, and Blob Tag.