https://vimeo.com/18393687]
The area around Third and Fairmount streets is generally a quiet residential block. But on Thursday nights from six to nine, the sidewalks shake and ears ring with sounds of kids yelling and balls bouncing.
At the Northern Liberties Recreational Center, a ragamuffin team of both coaches and players gather to play soccer. But why?
They don’t play in a league, they don’t compete against any other team, and the uniforms range from shorts to jeans to Ugg boots.
Adam Bruckner, the assistant coach of the Philadelphia Kixx and youth leader of the Helping Hands Rescue Mission, believes that this soccer team will provide structure and discipline in the lives of these kids.
The kids come from different communities surrounding the center. The coaches are made up of Kixx players, college students and volunteers from Bruckner’s rescue mission. It would be hard to find a similarity between the individuals with just a quick glance into the gym. But watching them interact, it’s easy to see their connection: soccer.
“Ideally, these young people would just fall into line and find the root of discipline that escapes them at school and on the streets. Unfortunately, this is not the situation. Yet,” said Bruckner.
The practice is not just beneficial for the kids. Trent Greiser, a former soccer player at Kutztown University, said: “I come here because I love the kids and because I love soccer. What more could I ask for?”
Lisa Wingard is a member of the Messiah College women’s team. She has won two consecutive national championships but prefers this practice to her own. “My favorite part of coming is watching their faces light up when they do something simple correctly. I see girls on my team do amazing things all the time, but none of their faces ever look as happy as these kids.”
Most teams practice to compete and to test themselves. But the coaches know that these kids have bigger challenges than winning a game. The focus is on teaching them how to sacrifice for others and to give them a group to depend on. Bruckner said: “Being a part of a team means giving a part of yourself and joining into a larger body. I believe they need that. These guys aren’t used to consistency. They live in inconsistent worlds. We are trying to change that on Thursday nights. The doors are open, they only need to walk through.”
Soccer is a beautiful game that unites people.
Soccer is more than just a game, to some people including me, soccer is our life.