Cemented partnership between Play Where You Stay and the Kroc Center creates opportunities for soccer development. Collaboration can create magic when two organizations share a mission but have unique strengths. That’s the case for our partnership with the Salvation Army Kroc Center, where we hosted practices and Game Days for our K-5 players throughout the spring semester. Located near the intersection of North Parkway and Central Avenue, the Kroc Center is positioned near the center of Memphis, providing easy access to families traveling to play from community fields across the city. It worked tremendously well, so we’ve forged a three-year partnership to support access to quality soccer programming for thousands of Memphis players. We spoke with our partner at the Kroc Center, Patrick Cephus, to share the story of playing together at the Kroc.  Expanding its sports roster As the Kroc’s recreation coordinator, Patrick is on the pulse of high-quality youth athletics programming. His staff and professional volunteers provide meaningful instruction for sports ranging from football to basketball and volleyball. But because of our city’s sports history and talent base, finding athletic and invested coaches with deep knowledge of soccer fundamentals and training was tough. That’s when he met us

Nestled in the Heights community between Treadwell Elementary and Middle Schools and the surrounding neighborhood sits a large park. It boasts ample green space with designated sports fields and space for community gatherings. There was also a large unstructured blacktop, primarily used by the schools, with the potential for organized and organic play. But it needed refinement to become a meaningful place for games and activities. Recognizing this opportunity for investment in play led us to partner with the Heights CDC,  Memphis Shelby County Schools, love.fútbol, Project Backboard, ESPN and Nike to create a beautiful set of sports courts that will be used for generations to come. In late 2023, the organizations gathered to create a blacktop plan. With investment from Nike and ESPN, they would refinish the surface and commission an artist to design two locally relevant sports-court murals. The basketball court would feature warm, inviting colors and the school’s mascot. They would also add a futsal court, creating opportunities to learn a court-based, soccer-adjacent game. Volunteers from the neighborhood would then use the remaining blacktop space to paint playground and recess games like hopscotch and foursquare, creating outdoor places for kids and families to get active and build

Street Soccer USA Announces Affiliate Partnership with Play Where You Stay – Memphis  To Send Spanish Professional Player and Coach, Jesús “Jesule” Barbadilla to Serve as PWYS Technical Director in Residence for 2 months Memphis, TN – Street Soccer USA (SSUSA), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to using soccer as a tool for social change, is thrilled to announce today its official affiliate partnership with Play Where Your Stay (PWYS), a Memphis initiative focused on providing soccer programs to underserved youth in Memphis. The partnership aims to strengthen PWYS’s efforts to fight poverty and strengthen community through top quality soccer programs. The collaboration between SSUSA and PWYS began when former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper, Tim Howard, asked SSUSA to explore the possibility of developing street soccer programs in Memphis. SSUSA’s founder, Lawrence Cann, quickly identified the standout work already taking place at PWYS.  PWYS’s founders, Ellen Roberds and Jarad Bingham  saw the value in bringing increased resources and expertise to their already successful player development and competitive programs. SSUSA-PWYS’ collaboration immediately impacted the lives of Marlene Casas Reyes, Brenda Gonzalez, and Yessica Munoz, women in PWYS’s competitive program. SSUSA selected them as part of its United States National team which