BSC Earns National Grant

Algonquin Sports for Kids Receives U.S. Soccer Foundation Grant

The U.S. Soccer Foundation has awarded a grant to Algonquin Sports for Kids, Inc. to support their Summer House League Program. Buffalo Soccer Club, the pilot program of Algonquin Sports for Kids, will use this grant to increase the number of opportunities that urban youth from the City of Buffalo have to play soccer in during the 2012 summer season.

Thanks to the grant, Buffalo Soccer Club (BSC) will be able to provide players with additional equipment and coaching from staff with better training. Grant money will also be used to provide local churches and community organizations with a small transportation stipend so they can bring children who are interested in the program to the BSC facility.

On February 3, 2012 the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, awarded sixty grants totaling $2.4 million to non-profit organizations serving youth in urban, underserved areas in twenty states across the nation. Since being established in 1994, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has awarded more than $55 million to non-profit organizations in all 50 states.

Through the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s 2012 Annual Grants program, the Foundation strives to continue its mission of enhancing and growing the sport of soccer as well as improving the well-being of children in underserved areas. Grant awards support the programming and equipment needs of non-profit organizations that provide children with the opportunity to play soccer and live a healthy lifestyle.

In addition to providing grants to support soccer programs, the U.S. Soccer Foundation awarded eighteen Synthetic Field Building grants to develop new FieldTurf soccer fields around the country. Supported by adidas, FieldTurf and MLS W.O.R.K.S., Major League Soccer’s community outreach program, the Synthetic Field Building program provides safe places for children to play in at-risk communities.

“Buffalo Soccer Club is honored and excited to have been chosen as a recipient of a U.S. Soccer Foundation grant to help enhance our Summer House League,” said Buffalo Soccer Club Program Director, Anna-Lesa Calvert. “This grant will enable us to provide players from the City of Buffalo with more opportunity to participate in soccer and learn to choose an active lifestyle which we believe, when started early in life, can remain a lifelong commitment for the children in our programs.”

“The U.S. Soccer Foundation is honored to support initiatives that give children in underserved urban communities access to soccer programs that encourage positive physical and social development,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “All children should have the opportunity to be involved with programs that promote active, healthy lifestyles and that provide an alternative to the many negative influences children face today.”

Support for the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Annual Grants program is provided by the Foundation’s Corporate Partners’ Council, a cohort of soccer industry leaders including Eurosport, FieldTurf, Hunter Industries, Musco Sports Lighting, PEVO Sports and Sport Court.

About Algonquin Sports for Kids

Algonquin Sports, Inc. (AS for Kids) is a not for profit organization created by Algonquin Studios to provide activities and opportunities for young people, regardless of race, religion or economic status, in urban communities. AS for Kids designs and implements youth sports programs with academic and social standards that will develop young people into well rounded members of our community. Buffalo Soccer Club was created as a pilot program of AS for Kids to offer the children of the city of Buffalo an opportunity in soccer. From the game it is our hope that these same children develop good physical health, positive levels of self-esteem, confidence, and core ethical principles in a safe, fun environment. BSC offers programming for young boys and girls ranging from ages four to fourteen years old.

About the U.S. Soccer Foundation

The U.S. Soccer Foundation is the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States. Established in 1994, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has invested more than $55 million in all 50 states. The U.S. Soccer Foundation supports programs and field building projects that provide underserved youth in urban communities with opportunities that promote positive behavior, healthy lifestyles, self-confidence and positive alternatives to drugs, crime and other at-risk behaviors.