Over the years, Flint has experienced tremendous decline in municipal revenue. This has led a number of declining opportunities – particularly for our youth. Long term, this leads to an “opportunity gap” that grows exponentially with their counterparts in more affluent communities.
In the 1970’s, Flint had one of the largest community-based school and park systems in the country. This provided “the space” and resources for any youth who wanted to participate in team and individual activities – within walking distance of their home. Mentors and coaches provided training that exposed kids to games like tennis, soccer, track and field and basketball that aid in personal development and growth. As resources have dwindled, Flint has not been able to provide services utilizing the same model. Going forward, we need to re-think how “space” is provided for kids.
Soccer is the most accessible and popular sport in the rest of the world, due to a number of factors – including the “pay for play” model and lack of available spaces – in North America, soccer is for predominantly middle to upper middle class families. Flint Style Soccer was established to expose kids to the game of soccer. With the national champion Flint City Bucks playing throughout the summer, and the opportunity for collaboration with the Neighborhood Engagement Hub (NEH), we have the ability to create the largest per-capita soccer outreach program in the country.