Soccer Program
Soccer Program:
Members and coaches of the US National Teams, MLS & WUSA/WPS, along with former players and coaches from the British FA and top collegiate teams visit with orphans and vulnerable children in areas hardest-hit by HIV/AIDS. They run player clinics for the kids and coaching clinics for the men and women interested in becoming coaches and mentors for younger members of their community.
Kids with Kicks: Camps for Kids
With the best players in the world on your side, how can you lose? The answer is, you can’t. Our soccer stars have more medals and trophies than we can count. World Cup titles, MVP trophies, MLS & WUSA Championships, Olympic Gold and Silver medals, NCAA championships and scoring titles… but the one thing that TRIAD values more than any of that is their dedication to children. Our players and coaches understand that the best way to achieve greatness is simply to love what you do. If you love what you do, you’ll work hard; if you work hard, success is much more likely. TRIAD’s soccer players inspire boys and girls by playing with them and teaching with the same passion with which they play. During their time together, the orphans and vulnerable children and our soccer stars will work on skills and strategies for life on and off the pitch.
Coaching Clinics
A unique group of professional league coaches, university coaches, professional players and health care providers works to train aspiring soccer coaches in the fundamentals of the game-skills and strategies. They work together to create an environment in which personal responsibility and accountability to others are core values of the ongoing soccer program.
League Development
After working in our partner communities on athlete camps and coaching clinics, TRIAD identifies exceptional local leaders who are interested in building youth sports leagues as a vehicle for continuing to keep the children healthy, safe and educated about HIV/AIDS. With the help of Rush Soccer, TRIAD provides valuable additional training to these aspiring Site Commissioners; we help them learn the steps to sustain their leagues with domestic and international sponsorship opportunities for their teams, and full-time employment opportunities for themselves.
United Uniforms
Started with the singular support of US Women’s two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time World Cup champion Kristine Lilly and her longtime sponsor adidas, participants in our soccer programs receive brand new kits. Since then, corporate partners such as Rush Soccer, Nike, and Puma, universities, high schools, and youth clubs have joined in to support the teams who have dedicated themselves to learning to live healthier lives on and off the field. With their new jerseys, the athletes play with a sense of pride and the knowledge that people believe in them. Once the athletes participate in our season-long HIV/AIDS education and soccer skills workshops, and demonstrate an ongoing commitment to upholding the values of fair play, teamwork, and respect, they receive their uniforms through the United Uniforms program.
Shoes to Use
The brainchild of World Cup veteran and Olympic Gold-Medalist and member of the United States Women’s National Team Angela Hucles, Shoes to Use encourages members of the US Soccer program to donate their gently used cleats to the kids in our programs overseas. Pilot programs in several Boston-area high schools and universities across the United States will also be collecting used cleats and sneakers. Most of the children in our soccer programs had been playing barefoot on fields that are also used as grazing grounds for livestock. Playing barefoot amidst the unsanitary animal manure and jagged rocks posed additional health and safety risks to these children; the Shoes to Use program gets the cleats into the hands-or onto the feet-of our young soccer players.
With the 2010 FIFA World Cup coming to South Africa, every young player dreams of suiting up for his national side. Now many more children will have the opportunity to fulfill that dream.
