Let's Play! After-school soccer for the whole child
Maryland State Youth Soccer Association
Summary
Maryland’s Let’s Play! program worked to transform the lives of participants by providing a safe, character building, community supported program that helps to teach social and emotional skills while fighting obesity and related illnesses. The case study provides insights into the program model and shares learnings that other organizations can take away.
This program is an ITG-supported program. Recognizing the vital role that Federation Members play in the growth of soccer in the U.S., the Innovate to Grow Fund was established in 2017 to help U.S. Soccer member organizations launch new and innovative programs designed to make soccer more accessible to all.
HOW AND WHEN IT CAN HELP
- To inform program strategies for other organizations exploring innovative approaches to grow participation, especially for youth in Title 1 schools in historically underserved communities.
- To support program design that focuses on whole-child-development.
- When developing community and family engagement strategies, to widen impact.
- To demonstrate how ITG funding supports sustainable and inclusive soccer programs.
- When identifying scalable models that can be replicated in other communities.
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS RESOURCE
It highlights that innovative approaches to soccer development don’t have to always reinvent the wheel. MSYSA manage to create new ways of working to take the game forward, but they do this while still harnessing the great work of other organizations who are experts in their fields.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS WHEN USING THIS RESOURCE
- How will your program address barriers to participation in your community?
- How can you engage the social capital in your community to expand your impact?
- What partnerships could you create to harness expertise that is already out there?
- How can the lessons from this case study inform your own local programming?
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Maryland State Youth Soccer Association serves as the primary advocate for youth soccer in the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. MSYSA is dedicated to offering the highest quality soccer education, player development, and programs while fostering sportsmanship, fitness, diversity, teamwork, and passion for the game. Their vision is to use the beautiful game of soccer to positively impact the lives of children, to create opportunities, and to strengthen communities. MSYSA is an active member of U.S. Soccer. To learn more visit MSYSA.org.
CREDITING CONTRIBUTORS
The Resource Hub is made possible by the generosity of contributors. It demonstrates the rich expertise and collective team spirit that exists across our soccer community.
All resources that have been contributed to the Resource Hub are free for users of the Hub to learn from, adapt and implement in their own organization and community.
Where relevant, we encourage users of the resources to formally or informally credit the resource creator, to acknowledge their expertise and generosity.