My Experience at the USC Leadership Camp is one that I will never forget. When I first arrived, I was a bit intimidated because many of the kids were ODP material and my skills were nowhere near theirs. After my arrival there, a welcome ceremony was held where we all got a chance to meet each other. After the ceremony, we did more ice-breakers in order to get to know each other better.

The remaining days were all dedicated to a variety of things. On one of the days, we went to the Freedom Center, which was a museum dedicated to the Underground Railroad. This museum helped open my eyes to the rich history of the Underground Railroad and it showed me the great sacrifices people made just to survive another day.

Another segment of the summit was coaching education. One of the people who taught the class was Dr. Ron Quinn and the other was Dr. John Thomas. Dr. Quinn did mostly all of the teaching in the class while Dr. Thomas did most of the hands on stuff on the field. They taught us how to coach U6 and U8 players. Some of the most important things that I learned were that all U6 players need to have a ball while the U8 players need to always be in groups while doing activities. The overall message the teachers wanted us to get is to change the whole “drill” system that coaches use into a more interactive system. At the end of the classes, we were all presented with coaching certificates.

The program also stressed the value of community service. They brought in several people to talk about the importance of giving back to one’s community. An organization called Ugive came and talked to us about how to do community service and keep track of hours using their website.

Finally, we played soccer whenever we had a chance. I played with some very skilled players that taught me how to become a better player. Even though I was a bit intimidated in the beginning, I showed them that I was the young Kaká after a couple of games!

This program really helped me become a better leader on and off the field. I even gained some soccer skill just by playing with others. All of this would not have been possible without the great people of City FC. If it was not for you all, I would not have been able to attend this life changing program. Again, thanks to all of City FC. From the bottom of my heart, I truly appreciate what you all have done for me.

Thomas Mehari

City FC’s men’s team, the Old Boys, were recently crowned champions of this year’s World Bank Best Foot Forward 6 v 6 charity tournament for the third year in a row.  They won by defeating “Play 4 Development” with the final score of 3 to 2. The third and fourth place teams were “NW Internazionale FC” and “Washington Express.”  Charitable organizations selected by the top four teams are donated money from the registration fees paid by each of the 24 teams.  Jubilee Jobs, the charity selected by the Old Boys, will receive $3,000 from the team’s victory. Check out Facebook for more photo.

It was a long day but a truly rewarding one for a fantastic cause!

Congrats, Old Boys!

Banneker High School and City FC student-athletes, Akrem Muzemil and Thomas Mehari have recently made it a personal mission to raise money for developing soccer pitches in disadvantaged parts of the world.  Their organization, Goals For The World, run by teens is “dedicated to enriching the lives of less fortunate youth through sports. Our goal is to provide soccer fields and equipment to neighborhoods around the world.”  The first of these pitches will be constructed in Akrem’s home town of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At the particular site, kids play soccer but there are no goals, almost no grass, and the presence of needles and other hazardous items make it a virtual minefield for its mostly barefoot users.  Akrem is currently in Ethiopia working on this project and will return in mid-August.

This fledgling organization is in need of donations to continue to provide fields of dreams for players around the globe.  The cost of renovating each new site is estimated at $1,000 USD.  If you are interested in learning more or would like to make a donation, please contact Akrem and Thomas at goalsfortheworld@yahoo.com.

Way to go, guys! We wish you the best!

(Photos from Akrem’s trip will be available on Facebook shortly)

In collaboration with The Urban Soccer Collaborative, DC Scores and United for DC, girls from the City FC U19 girls’ team were invited to the White House to witness President Obama honor the 2009 WPS champs, Sky Blue FC.  Though the group waited anxiously for nearly two hours, the actual ceremony lasted a mere 15 minutes, as Obama arrived late and was pressed for time.  Even though there was no opportunity for the girls to shake the President’s hand, the girls were quite excited to be in the same room as the President as he honored fellow soccer players.  Not to mention, the girls also found themselves in the presence of women’s soccer greats like Tasha Kai, Carli Lloyd, Heather O’Reilly, Christie Rampone, Rosana and Kacey White.  All in all, this was a memorable experience.

Check out our Facebook page for more photos!

Student-athletes Akrem Muzemil and Thomas Mehari are highlighted in the City Paper for building soccer pitches in Ethiopia.  Their organization is called “Goals For The World.” (LINK)

• Emily Cadei (Midfielder)
• Mattia Chason (Striker)
• Dan Driscoll (Goalkeeper)
• Maiz Hogan (Defender)
• Roy Kelly (Defender)
• Mvuselelo Ngcoya (Defender/Midfielder)
• Yinka Oyelaran (Midfielder/Striker)
• Deni Popovski (Striker)
• Alex Redmond (Midfielder/Striker)
• Sahar Sattarzadeh (Defender)
• Carlos Wilson (Defender/Midfielder)

As part of the championship prize pack, City FC 1 was awarded an autographed ball signed by the DC United squad and four DC United season tickets. The autographed ball will be auctioned off, and all proceeds will go towards City FC. District Sports also kindly offered all footballs that were used in the tournament to City FC for to use in its football programs.   On April 17, the champions were honored during halftime at the DC United-New England Revolution match at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, sporting jazzy City FC jerseys.  The squad looks forward to next year’s tournament.

During the final week of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, while the greatest players in the game are competing for the biggest prize in soccer, the Football for Hope Festival 2010, a very different kind of international tournament, will be taking place in the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg. Youth from around the world will participate in cultural activities, workshops, and a tournament. Football for Hope is a movement that uses the power of the game for social development. It is led by FIFA and streetfootballworld, a center of expertise that supports a global network of local organizations that work in the field of youth development through soccer.

Thirty-two youth delegations from around the world will represent organizations that use soccer to strengthen under-served communities. These organizations are using soccer to address a wide range of social issues, such as ethnic violence in Israel and Palestine, environmental pollution in the slums of Kenya, HIV/AIDS education in South Africa, and landmine education in Cambodia and gang culture in Ecuador.

The American delegation includes eight young players ages 15 to 18 years old (four male and four female) plus one coach, one youth leader, and two chaperones. The players represent the Starfinder Foundation in Philadelphia, PA, Soccer in the Streets in Atlanta, GA, and programs within the Urban Soccer Collaborative national membership. Malaika will represent the DC Stoddert’s City Football Club of Washington, DC, an Urban Soccer Collaborative member organization.

What’s the purpose? During this once-in-a-lifetime trip Malaika will participate in activities designed to change the way she sees herself and others by learning about the realities of her peers from around the world. By hearing first hand from people of other cultures, she will be able to separate fact from fiction and see what other people are like and how they live. The group will develop leadership skills and, at the center of the competition, learn to resolve conflict and develop positive solutions—across cultural and language barriers. The festival will help Malaika and the other delegates develop a healthy and educated world view.

Unfortunately, this trip is costly. Football for Hope will cover each delegation’s housing and food costs while in South Africa and provide tracksuits and two full uniforms for each player. However, Malaika is responsible for all other costs, including airfare (approx. $3,200 each!) and other travel expenses, passports, immunizations, clothing for official events, turf shoes, practice uniforms, travel gear, small gifts to share with other delegations, and other incidental expenses. Please consider making a gift to help send Malaika to South Africa this summer! Your donations will be greatly appreciated and acknowledged. Please contact Cara Rooney at cara.rooney@cityfc.org if you are interested in helping Malaika’s trip become a reality.

City FC White team

Congratulations to the City FC White team!   Maya, Laniyyah, Kendall, Ciara, Abby, Melis, Tasi, and Malaika played four tough games to bring home the 2^nd place trophy in the Second Annual Black History Futsal Invitational Tournament on Saturday, February 27^th.

A DC Parks and Recreation sponsored event at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, the tournament welcomed four competitive U19 girls teams representing Bell High School (Bell), DC Stoddert, School Without Walls (Walls), and the Southern Maryland Football Club (SMFC).

The City FC White team lost a tough first match, 2-5, to the SMFC.  Starting at keeper, Malaika, initiated the first goal by passing around the backfield with Tassi, Maya, and Abby to move the ball up the court.  Maya received the ball in the center and fed it to Melis who found the back of the net for her first goal of the day.  Melis scored the second goal after receiving a square pass from Abby on the right flank.

After a twenty minute break, the girls played a tight game against Bell.  With Malaika in goal again, Bell wasn’t able to find the back of the net.  The City FC team won their second game, 1-0.  After receiving the ball in the center of the court, Laniyyah connected with Tasi who dribbled past a Bell player to get the ball to Maya.  Maya finished the play with a goal in upper right corner of the goal.

The City FC girls’ played Walls in their third game coming out on top with another 1-0 victory, and making it to the finals. Abby played in goal this game, giving Malaika some field time.  Abby started the string of passes resulting in the winning goal.  Abby to Malaika to Maya who one-touched it to Tasi who launched a shot in the upper left corner of goal.

In the finals the City FC girls picked up their game to compete with the seasoned SMFC.  The girls increased their intensity of play by moving the ball around the court and taking more shots on goal.  However, despite their best efforts, the girls were unable to pull off a victory.

This tournament was a wonderful opportunity for the City FC White team to play with other U19 girls in a competitive and fun-spirited manner.  All involved showed much improvement in their play and cohesiveness as a team throughout the afternoon.  Overall this tournament was a huge success and everyone had a fantastic time playing together on Saturday afternoon.

City Football Club (“City FC”), a program of DC Stoddert Soccer, was established in 2007 to provide District youth with a curriculum combining excellent soccer coaching and first-rate mentorship and college preparation. City FC is organized exclusively for charitable purposes as an educational non-profit. Its objective is to bring together the City’s youth for educational and recreational opportunities, including but not limited to soccer.

City Football Club (“City FC”), a program of DC Stoddert Soccer, was established in 2007 to provide District youth with a curriculum combining excellent soccer coaching and first-rate mentorship and college preparation. City FC is organized exclusively for charitable purposes as an educational non-profit. Its objective is to bring together the City’s youth for educational and recreational opportunities, including but not limited to soccer.