Welcome to our blog here at streetfootballworld! We hope you'll continue to check on our activities and let us know your thoughts...

This week, public school in Atlanta was out for Presidents' Day.  In order to keep the kids active, and away from sitting in front of TV's or finding trouble in their neighborhoods, Soccer in the Streets organized a Street-Cup at the Samuel L. Jones Boys & Girls Club in Decatur, GA.  70 kids, both native born and those who have come to America as refugees, played soccer together.

The teams were formed by mixing up the kids, they had to play with other kids that they did not already know.  This led to some teams with a white American boy, African-American girl, Liberian boy, and a Burundian girl.  The kids were forced to work together to make their team succeed.  In addition, the games were played without referees.  The players called their own fouls are solved their own problems. 

In America, our sport is often too organized.  Kids feel like they can't just play, there have to be coaches, referees, goals, and lined fields for it to really be a game.  It's a shame, because all of this organization has taken the game away from the kids.  We fight every day to provide opportunities to the kids to take control of their own games.  Let the game be the teacher, and the kids come away enriched and motivated. 

This event was just one of an ongoing commitment to work in the Clarkston community to use soccer as a way to integrate the large refugee population with the native born population.  Partnerships with organizations such as the Decatur-DeKalb YMCA, the International Community School, the Clarkston Community Center, the Samuel L. Jones Boys & Girls Club, and committed volunteers have opened all of our eyes to the power of the sport and possibilities it can create. 

The most important thing was that kids had a good time.  They played, laughed, and learned.  What more can you ask for on a beautiful day? 

For pictures from our last two events in the Clarkston community, follow this link.

Until next time...