Soccer club gets national award for positive community impact
An El Paso soccer program is winning big for its work both on and off the field of play.
Both players and coaches from the Segundo Barrio Futbol Club were surprised and thrilled to find out they had been awarded the 2019 Urban Soccer Symposium Impact Award from the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
Segundo Barrio was given the prestigious award for its work in using soccer as a tool for positive change.
For the last 8 years, the club has been developing programs to foster physical, mental and emotional growth in El Paso’s kids.
Segundo Barrio operates as a volunteer run organization and began with just a single team.
The group has grown and currently serves over 150 young people.
“So they get to be on a team,” said Segundo Barrio Futbol Club Executive Director Simon Chandler. “They g et to practice during the week. Get to play games on the weekend. We sometimes try and travel to other parts of the country to go to tournaments so it provides an opportunity.”
Segundo Barrio F-C also has an after school reading club and an in-depth college preparatory program.
These endeavors are meant to set the kids up for success, even after their goal scoring days are long over.
The competitive travel team of Segundo Barrio F-C has spent years crisscrossing the nation in various leagues and tournaments.
Club members benefit academically from the organizations budding partnership with UTEP. “We thought that it was going to be good for them to visit the university to get to know a lot more about our programs and the different opportunities that UTEP has to offer for the community,” said UTEP Office of International Programs official Arturo Barrio. “We would like for the students to come to school. That is one of the main things. That is the end goal. That they consider UTEP for university and that they continue their studies once they graduate from high school.” The award itself was presented during the U.S. Soccer Foundations 2019 Urban Soccer Symposium, a signature event where directors and mentors exchange notes on how they can use the sport the love to best create positive futures for the kids in their communities.
