McDonald’s partners with Street Soccer USA
Sports is one way people come together across the world. Last year when the Fifa World Cup tournament started, it received 6.28 billion views during the matchups and 25 million views for the finals alone. Soccer, or futbol in most of the world, is easily the most beloved and popular sport and brings unique people together to share their love and passion for the sport. Mcdonald’s and Street Soccer USA want to replicate that same comradery and bridge different communities in the USA with soccer.
“We partnered with LA84 Foundation in the late 2000s to start these community programs for the youth, which was a slow build as we had to form relationships of trust with parents, kids, and other community-based organizations throughout the years,” said Rob Can, national director of Street Soccer USA. “We brought Lucas in to help bridge relationships in South Los Angeles as he is a native and would give us a different perspective and insight that helped us connect with the community better.”
Lucas Marton, the Los Angeles Program Director of the Street Soccer USA division, is a Watts native and joined the organization in 2007 to better support his neighborhood.
“We started the street league idea because I was tired of fighting for green spaces in Los Angeles, and I didn't want to get caught in the rat race between developmental clubs, schools, and property companies, as it became stressful to find space for the kids,” Marton said. “Things started five years ago in the Imperial Courts apartments, with me walking around begging kids to play soccer in the court. Now, some of those kids just experienced Paris as we were flown by Nike, and that was the first time most of those kids left the state.”
Street Soccer USA is a national organization with leagues in different locations like New York, Oakland, Chicago, and Richmond, to name a few. They all serve the same purpose of helping the local communities and kids around to guide them and give them a sense of togetherness through soccer and other activities.
You can reach Rob, Lucas, and other staff members by visiting their site, www.StreetSoccerusa.org.
