THE PROBLEM

Youth soccer is a big business: There are roughly 4 million registered youth soccer players in the United States. It’s estimated that the youth soccer business in that country is $3 to $4 billion annually. The US Soccer Federation has failed the sport by creating a system that exploits capitalism and promotes segregation based on income. 

Pay-to-Play: The cost of playing for an elite club can be more than $10,000 per year, plus travel. The more expensive clubs are the ones that are seen by college or national team recruiters, so kids who can’t afford to play for the best teams – even if they have the skill for it – get left behind.

IT DOES NOT WORK FOR KIDS OF COLOR: While non-white US residents younger than 18 now make up 53% of the population, Latinos comprise only 7.4% and African American women comprise only 6.8% of female NCAA soccer players.  Soccer is the world’s great democratic game. But in the US, success is determined by wealth, leaving out many kids of color.

THE SOLUTION

Bring attention to the current system.  Disrupt the pay-to-play model.  Level the playing field. Start small. Think BIG: create a new youth soccer model that can be scaled throughout the United States.

THE PARTNERSHIP

Sound of GOL Foundation and Watford FC have teamed up to provide a life changing opportunity to young BIPOC women soccer players.  The pilot program will be implemented in Winter 2024:

• Highly skilled young women from soccer clubs or schools that serve under-represented communities will be selected to travel to London for a ten-day, intensive soccer immersion experience.

• They will be embedded with the Watford FC Women, participating in team meetings, practices and drills, as a way to showcase their soccer talent alongside professional players.

• At the end of the experience, the Watford FC coaching staff will provide developmental feedback to each woman, with the opportunity to pursue a professional playing career potentially offered.

• They will also learn about the business of sports and career opportunities that exist outside of being a professional athlete.

Our first recipient will be Nayelli Barahona, age 19, widely known as a high level soccer player in Los Angeles. Yet she was never scouted for travel, collegiate or developmental programs within the US Soccer Federation, largely because her Downtown Los Angeles Soccer Club, where the rosters are 95% Latina and 100% economically challenged, does not get noticed.

THE NARRATIVE

As a true leader in equality, diversity and inclusion in sport throughout the world, Watford FC is a natural fit for this innovative initiative. To shine an even brighter spotlight on the issue of inequality in soccer, the SOG production team will capture the full experience and release a short documentary that demonstrates the commitment of Watford FC and the need for a more inclusive system in the United States.

THE WHY

This experience will change a young woman’s life, improving and strengthening the sport for women overall, but especially for women of color.