TAMPA – With shots on goal, smiles on faces and surprises from professional female athletes, students at East Tampa’s Ferrell Girls Preparatory Academy enjoyed an inspiring Soccer Celebration on April 4.
Positive role models and examples of dreams being realized surrounded the 400-plus students at the all-girls public middle school.
The event marked the launch of the Tampa Bay Sun Foundation.
The nonprofit group will collaborate with the area’s women’s professional soccer team, Tampa Bay Sun FC, on programs that use the power of soccer to build community and character.
Ferrell Girls Preparatory Academy students zipped around cones in dribbling drills and laughed as they did their best to send shots into the back of portable soccer goals.
Volunteer coaches and professional female players from Tampa Bay Sun FC led the activities.
Sun players and team mascot Solé surprised students at the outdoor celebration, then headed inside to join a school pep rally in the gym.
The Soccer Celebration is a small taste of the impact that will be delivered by the Tampa Bay Sun Foundation’s flagship effort: Rise Up Soccer Club.
Rise Up will bring a free, high-quality soccer program to girls who otherwise may not have access.
It is a women-led afterschool curriculum, lasting four to six weeks.
The Rise Up program will focus on Title 1 schools like Ferrell.
“Soccer is one of the most popular sports for kids in the U.S., but youth soccer is almost never free,” said Rachel Jolley, program director for the Tampa Bay Sun Foundation. “To take part and see all the benefits of physical activity, teamwork and positive role models, families face spending hundreds or thousands of dollars per year, per child. We want to help change that dynamic here in Tampa Bay.”
In addition to expanding access to soccer, the foundation will create new opportunities for growth among local youth players and future leaders of the game, and be a hub for community impact that inspires every generation.
“Our players want to get out into the community,” said Christina Unkel, president and general manager of Tampa Bay Sun FC. “They want to show kids that their dreams can become reality. By partnering with the Tampa Bay Sun Foundation, the amazing women on our team now have a new outlet where they can reach out and have a positive impact.”
On the web: TampaBaySunFC.com/foundation
