Wofford Panhellenic and the Interfraternity Council have partnered with Lion Soccer Academy to be the 2023 Greek Week philanthropy.
Lion Soccer Academy was started in 2015, but the idea was planted in 2010 after an influential community meeting discussing an increase in gang violence and delinquency among Spartanburg children in at-risk communities. Reinaldo Soto and his wife knew they wanted to find an outlet to make a difference in the youth of Spartanburg.
“When you give to others, you often receive more,” Soto said. “Investing in the youth is important because they are our future.”
A former player for the Real Madrid soccer club, Carlos Duque, formed a soccer league for at-risk children in Madrid to allow them to learn leadership and life-skills. Soto and his wife recruited Duque to come to Spartanburg for three months and help them start a similar program.
Thus, the Lion Soccer Academy was born. Initially, the program reached out to mainly children from immigrant families but now reaches out to all.
Lion Soccer Academy’s main goal is to build better citizens through the game of soccer. Values of respect, discipline, confidence and social skills are woven into the curriculum, and, at the end of each practice, every coach leads the team in a moment of reflection to focus on an important value.
The program holds two practices and one game a week. Additionally, monthly birthday celebrations are held to ensure that each player feels loved and included.
Parents of these players further benefit from the works of the Lion Soccer Academy. The academy holds educational sessions on topics such as nutrition, marriage counseling, immigration and financial planning to make sure that the entire community benefits from their work.
Soto hopes that the Greek Week partnership will allow the work with adults to continue. Currently, children ages 5-12 are permitted to play in the soccer league, but he has plans for the program to expand.
With the program’s expansion, Soto hopes to establish more adult soccer leagues to expand the ages of players that they are able to engage with a larger age group.
Furthermore, transportation is difficult for many working and busy parents, so the academy hopes to coordinate a transportation service for players.
Finding fields to play on can be difficult as well, so, with more funds, the academy hopes to be able to build their own fields to have a permanent meeting place. Down the line, they would love to build a fitness and community center to host exercise classes for the players and adults.
Fees for leagues, uniforms, coaches, referees, food, tournaments and celebrations are always pressing, so donations from Greek Week will be used towards these as well.
The Lion Soccer Academy hopes that Wofford students would be willing to volunteer with the organization, even after Greek Week is over. Soccer coaches are always needed, but the commitment does not have to be weekly.
An increased social media presence is needed for the academy, and they are hoping that Wofford students would be able to help them better market the club. The academy is willing to offer community service hours for help.
If you are interested in volunteering or donating, please contact Reinaldo Soto at [email protected], or 864-325-9345. Additionally, you can visit their Facebook page.
