Empowering Youth Futsal Soccer

Green Space, Park Access, and Trees

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

We aim to address income inequality impacting access to sports, specifically soccer, for children in Los Angeles. Current 'pay to play' models exclude many children from low-income backgrounds, with the cost of joining a team ranging from $600 to $2,500. This deprives them of the physical and social benefits of sports but also opportunities for athletic scholarships or sports careers. Lack of access to organized sports can lead to a higher propensity for unproductive or risky behavior. For example, we remember, a 12-year-old from a low-income neighborhood, who had come up to the booth and stated that he really loves to play Futsal soccer but couldn't afford to play until LA Active Sports provide our help. We believe that every child, like the boy that approached us, should have equal opportunities to play, regardless of their economic status. Failure to address this issue risks perpetuating a cycle of inequality, limiting potential, and adversely affecting community health

This grant will support LA Active Sports' initiative to democratize access to organized soccer for youth in Los Angeles, specifically our inclusive Futsal-Soccer leagues. These leagues offer young individuals, irrespective of their income, a platform to play soccer at zero cost, thereby tackling the inequality issue in sports access. Our initiative includes setting up and maintaining high-quality futsal pitches, which are crucial to the sport, and coordinating league games. This ensures that our participants can enjoy the sport in a safe and encouraging environment that facilitates skill development and promotes enjoyment of the game. What makes our initiative unique is its comprehensive approach. We don't merely provide access to the sport; we offer an enriching experience that fosters both physical and emotional growth. Our judgment-free environment encourages self-awareness and confidence-building, aspects often overlooked in traditional sports programs. Moreover, our goal is to have partnerships with esteemed organizations. Our future goal is that collaborations enhance the credibility of our program and offer our participants potential pathways to further their sporting aspirations. We believe that this initiative is the best way to address the issue identified as it not only removes financial barriers but also delivers an enriching, empowering sporting experience to the youth in our community, providing a sustainable solution to a deep-rooted problem

If our work is successful, we envision a transformative change in Los Angeles County's sports landscape. In the short term, with the grant, we expect to reach and engage more youth from diverse income backgrounds, significantly increasing participation rates in our Futsal-Soccer leagues. Beyond sports participation, our success would lead to improved physical health, and emotional well-being among the youth. Our participants would carry these beneficial experiences into adulthood, influencing their overall life outcomes positively. We see LA Active Sports becoming a role model for other sports organizations in addressing income inequality, inspiring them to adopt similar models of inclusivity. With potential scaling or expansion, we envision spreading this impact beyond LA County, ensuring that access to sports is a right, not a privilege, for all youth across the nation.

As an existing project, LA Active Sports measures its impact through a variety of qualitative and quantitative metrics. Quantitatively, we monitor the number of participants in our leagues, and attendance rates. Since inception, we've seen a consistent increase in participation, with children from diverse income backgrounds joining our leagues, signaling that our efforts are working Qualitatively, we collect feedback from participants and their parents through surveys and informal interviews. Overwhelmingly, the responses have been positive, indicating that we're successfully creating an inclusive, supportive environment for the children. We also track our participants' progression in sports. This demonstrate the lasting impact our project has on the youth. These results underscore the value of our work and the need to continue and expand our initiative to reach more deserving children and further address the issue of income inequality in sports access.