Location and general information
Access to Sport - 
Healthy lifestyle - 
Infrastructure and equipment - 
Personal developmentContext
Atlanta has the highest income inequality of any city in the United States. This, combined with the ‘pay-to-play’ model that dominates football activities in the US, means children in underserved communities are locked out of participation. These children need affordable programmes in safe, accessible locations. Soccer in the Streets provides just that with StationSoccer.
StationSoccer – HE Holmes is located at the subway station of that name in the Collier Heights neighbourhood of Atlanta. With a per capita income of $33,759 (€33,068) and a poverty rate of 25%, it is one of the most underinvested communities in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. The project will provide Soccer in the Streets’ unique combination of football training and social and emotional capacity building to 150 six to twelve-year-olds. It is estimated that 80% of participants will be African American, 40% of the participants are girls and the vast majority will be playing football for the first time.
Project goals
- Provide access
- Eliminate transport obstacles and cost barriers
- Improve well-being
- Integrate social and emotional learning into the football curriculum
- Train coaches to follow the curriculum and recognise adverse childhood experiences
Project content
Football and social and emotional learning sessions
- Two 2-hour training sessions a week, with matches on Saturdays
- Total of 26 weeks of training over the year (spring season from 15 February to 15 May, and autumn season from 15 August to 15 November)
- Incorporation of social and emotional learning in training sessions, with a focus on resilience, self-management, social awareness, decision-making and relationships
Coach training
- Coach training session in July to help coaches follow the curriculum and recognise adverse childhood experiences
Partners
