ALL PARTICIPANTS TO RECEIVE A FREE SOCCER BALL
DATE: Saturday, March 12 at 11 a.m.
PLACE: The Salvation Army KROC Center of Philadelphia, 4200 Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
DETAILS: The SWAG, the fast-growing Philadelphia soccer program reaching over 2,000 inner-city children of color per year, hopes to raise awareness and excitement in soccer by hosting free community-focused soccer clinic with a free soccer ball for all participants.
The SWAG wants to introduce and increase participation in soccer among the city’s most vulnerable children between the ages of 4-8 and lead them on a successful path towards a healthier lifestyle, private school, collegiate scholarships, or potentially a professional career.
During the two-hour, free event, participants will learn soccer drills and experience game action in a fun and engaging interactive session hosted by professional soccer coaches.
The SWAG will also begin offering weekly starter soccer sessions at the Salvation Army KROC Center of Philadelphia on Monday, March 14 and Wednesday, March 15 from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. for six weeks.
The SWAG is a no-cost, 47-week per year annual soccer training program for young athletes ages 4 to 8 held in some of Philadelphia’s most neglected African American and immigrant communities. The SWAG’s programming is specifically centered around areas of Philadelphia where basketball and American football dominate the sports culture; North Philadelphia and West/Southwest Philadelphia.
The program offers exciting opportunities for very young athletes in Philadelphia’s black and immigrant communities, particularly in the City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. The SWAG also offers very early exposure to the sport with professional training with the hope of providing a more diverse athlete base for years to come in hands-on, year-round partnership.
The SWAG was established to help identify, support, and invest in homegrown talent from the City of Philadelphia, creating local superstars of color from Philadelphia’s most under-resourced areas. Boys ages 4-8 who display exceptional aptitude may receive an invite to The SWAG Select for more regular, skills-focused training. Girls may be referred to top Girls clubs in the region.
Launched as a pilot in late 2018 and currently being expanded throughout the City, with training sessions several days per week in various locations, The SWAG is creating opportunities for athletes of color at this critical age of introduction, helping them develop a natural trajectory to the nationally acclaimed Philadelphia Union Academy system, whose coaches help oversee, advise and manage The SWAG. The ultimate goal of The SWAG is to provide young athletes of color from the City of Philadelphia with professional soccer coaching in a fun setting at no cost, accelerating technical skills and development, while creating a home-grown talent pool of professional soccer players capable of competing at the highest level.
