2018 Year in Review

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2018 Year in Review

Thank you to everyone who made 2018 a year to remember! We look back and celebrate a year of awesomeness: empowering players through our girl-power based programming, the launch of Skills & Empowerment Camps, our partnership with Athleta, mentoring women from Saudi Arabia, supporting the refugees of Global FC, and most of all, getting to share our love of soccer.

Scroll for highlights.

Empowering our girls

  • Over 200 girls attended our Skills & Empowerment Camps. Camp sessions are thoughtfully designed to develop skills and also encourage players to be the brave, strong and powerful girl she is.
  • Interactive empowerment activities included the creation of Finesse ribbons and "I am" visualizations, sending home a tangible reminder to players that they are awesome.
  • Next camp slated for early 2019. Help us schedule camp, let us know when you're available!
  • SAVE THE DATE: Summer Camp
    • Week 1: June 18-21 (Tu-Fri)
    • Week 2: June 24-27 (M-Th)

Athleta Partnership

  • 2 in-store clinics:
    • Partnership kickoff, April 2018
    • Friends & Family Fitness Expo with TMF, September 2018
  • Recognizing exceptional attitude, effort and kindness by giving Athleta girl awards (shop cards and swag bags) to players in the Finesse Soccer program

Community partners with Global FC

  • Offered multiple free soccer clinics for the refugee soccer girls of Global FC.
    • First ever indoor soccer clinic for this community
    • 2 outdoor soccer clinics
    • Coordinated free clinic for Global FC players run by visiting coaches from Saudi Arabia (below)
  • Many of these girls have never played sports due to cultural restrictions.

Making an impact on visiting coaches

  • 12 women from Saudi Arabia came to the US to learn how to be soccer coaches, and to use soccer as a non-political force to bring people together
  • We were contacted by the State Department (FHi360) to see if we could put a program together to supplement their training in Kansas City with United Soccer Coaches. We developed special coaching programs just for this group:
    • Shadowed a team training session with Coach Carrie to experience our style and passion in person
    • Led a soccer clinic for the Global FC girls, where the visiting coaches had an opportunity to practice their craft. This was an incredibly powerful experience, watching the visiting coaches making an impact on young refugees, many of whom face similar cultural challenges as a female

Making an impact on girls in our community

  • Over 400 players trained with us in 2018 through camps, clinics, GK Academy, private sessions, buddy sessions and team training sessions
  • Hosted an equipment drive for Global FC and arranged for new uniforms and equipment to be donated by local businesses
  • You asked, we listened! Now offer training programs for as young as Kindergarten, all the way through High School girls