KD Sunday Spotlight: Pittsburgh soccer program gives opportunities to kids in underserved communities
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- James Meara learned how to bend the soccer ball like Beckham. Since childhood, he's played the sport.
"Became a pro at the club and then went to another club called Doncaster Rovers after that," Meara said.
With about seven years of pro experience, he moved from London, England, to Pittsburgh. And for 20 years, he's shared his love for soccer with kids in our community through his nonprofit Pittsburgh Soccer in the Community.
"We sit them down and go, 'you know, this is fun, running around kicking balls, scoring some goals, but why are we doing this?'" he said.
Soccer teaches you much more than how to play a game.
"Leadership, teamwork, discipline, respecting the opposition -- all those things that go hand in hand with life," Meara explains.
And his nonprofit has given over 6,000 kids the chance to play in at-risk communities at no cost to them.
"Seeing kids that we have here on this field over 15 years ago, and they're married with homes and kids, and they have their own business, I mean, that's what it's all about," Meara said.
Arsenal Middle School is one of the first schools the nonprofit partnered with. John Leemhuis is the athletic director there.
"It's brought me up to the point where I love soccer, more than I love basketball, and I played basketball in high school. Like I said, their energy is actually really infectious," Leemhuis said.
Pittsburgh and Arsenal hold a melting pot of cultures.
"They're coming from Russia, Africa, they're coming from all over," said Leemhuis.
So the nonprofit brings in a sport that crosses international borders too.
"It became like a bridge for the students to feel like they were wanted, they were needed, because they were able to play a sport they love to do, and they look up to," Leemhuis said.
Pittsburgh Soccer in the Community has in-school programs, where they go into gym classes. It also has after-school programs and summer camp programs around Pittsburgh.
"Four years in a row, we took second place in the city championship. And then four years in a row we took first place," Meara said.
Beyond the accolades, playing soccer has resulted in personal and academic growth for students, and safety in the community.
"We were meeting with the chief of police of the area, a couple of months after, and we were told juvenile crime that summer was basically zero," Meara said.
To Meara, this mission is about much more than scoring goals. Learning about soccer teaches the next generations lessons for life.
Pittsburgh Soccer in the Community's summer and spring programs will be announced soon. It has academies with scholarships for kids to play too.
Meara says the next goal for the nonprofit is to get kids into a team or a league to get them onto a path for a college soccer scholarship.