After FC Cincinnati became an MLS club, the newly formed FC Cincinnati Foundation worked with local organizations to bring soccer-specific programming to the Queen City in order to boost interest in the sport through grassroots programming.
Soccer for Success is a nationally-run soccer program established by the U.S. Soccer Foundation that provides the sport, teaches healthy habits and helps develop life skills through trained coaches and family participation.
“We are excited to work with our partners in Cincinnati to ensure that more kids can reap soccer’s many benefits,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “Through our game, children gain confidence, learn to work with their peers, and build a greater sense of community. We look forward to continuing this work with our partners and increasing access to the beautiful game.”
Currently, the FCCF has partnered with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission and YMCA to bring the free program to local children. Totaling 150 kids at 12 locations in its first year, participants receive a uniform, ball and participate in three sessions a week. Club partner Medical Mutual and other donors have underwritten the program costs so the FC Cincinnati Foundation can have a greater presence in its first season.
“This program brings a number of things for the young people participating,” said Daniel Betts, the CRC’s director of recreation. “For one, it’s an opportunity to get fitness and wellness in. It’s also an opportunity for them to learn about good nutrition and what they can put in their bodies so they can be active on the soccer court.”
One location with the program is the Lincoln Recreation Center in the West End. There, kids wearing orange and blue FC Cincinnati shirts recently used its new mini pitch – donated by the FC Cincinnati Foundation - to work on dribbling and ball control. As they played, nutrition facts filtered into the drills.
“This is an opportunity for youth and for families who may not be able to purchase tickets to the game, but also get an opportunity to play this sport and get introduced to the sport at a very young age,” Betts said. “(This) could then matriculate them into wanting to play this when they get older.”
Blocks away at the Carl H. Lindner YMCA, kids played inside the gym and worked on dribbling and shooting.
“This program is critical, because many of our kids need a structured environment enabling them to grow and develop,” said YMCA of Greater Cincinnati President and CEO Jorge Perez. “This program, in particular, teaches life skills, and, as you can see, some real physical fitness. That’s the golden combination when we’re talking about young people.”
As Soccer for Success grows in Cincinnati, the FCCF has expanded possibilities thanks to Medical Mutual, the first partner to work with the foundation. That partnership formed in support of this program.
“Nothing brings people together quite like sports, so we are glad to be a partner of FC Cincinnati Foundation,” said Chad Francis, Regional Vice President, Southwest at Medical Mutual. “The Soccer for Success program is important to the community because these programs help kids foster healthy habits, as well as instill lifelong love for the sport.”
Kate Solomon, the Executive Director of the FC Cincinnati Foundation and FCC’s Vice President of Community Relations, said the ultimate goal is to expand Soccer for Success to children around the city to continue growing the sport’s popularity while teaching healthy habits and life skills along the way.
“The goal is to continue growing the program through additional locations and additional participants at our current locations,” Solomon said. “We believe participation can double as early as next season, which would be the fall. Really, it’s about bringing soccer activity to kids.”
