Getting a Kick Out of Camp

This July, five young NYCHA residents had the opportunity to do something most kids in the U.S. don’t normally get to do—learn soccer from international soccer stars. As participants in the Fox Summer Academy (FSA), they played alongside FSA’s founder, Christian Fuchs, who plays for the Leicester City Football Club.

During his first year on the team, Fuchs helped the team gain their first English soccer title as Premier League champions.The one-week camp was held July 11 through 15 at Frederick Douglass Field in Harlem. FSA, based in Manhattan where Fuchs lives with his family, provided nearly $3,500 in scholarships to NYCHA participants.

The scholarships were made possible thanks to a new partnership between NYCHA, the Fund for Public Housing, and FSA to bring the skills and passion for soccer to New York City public housing youth. “We wanted to give back,” Fuchs said. “There are people who can’t afford the camp, but they want to be here. I wanted to give that opportunity to the kids. I want them to know I’m here for them.” Mya Morrison, 12, of Amsterdam Addition, participated in the soccer camp.

Though she loves sports—she plays third base and shortstop on The Royals softball team—she was a beginner soccer player prior to camp. “The only time I’ve played soccer is sometimes during gym,” she said. “But camp made me determined to play more soccer.” Brothers Daveyon Brown, 9, and Saesean Brown, 8, of 830 Amsterdam Avenue, both loved learning to play soccer. “Camp is really great,” Daveyon said. “I like learning tricks.” Saesean interrupted to say, “I like shooting goals and doing a lot of tricks. Our coaches teach us things like defense. I want to play soccer after camp.” Daveyon heartily agreed.

Fuchs said the camp is about more than teaching kids soccer, that “It’s also about learning how to behave in a community and in a group. To follow certain rules, to have respect for your teammates…you can apply that to any other situation in your life. Soccer Fields To Be Built at NYCHA Developments NYCHA residents at Cypress Hills Houses in Brooklyn and South Jamaica Houses in Queens will have the chance to play soccer right outside their front doors in the near future. In July, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the New York City Football Club, and Adidas announced the launch of the New York City Soccer Initiative, a public-private partnership that will build and maintain 50 soccer fields in underserved neighborhoods across the five boroughs over the next five years. Fields will begin to open for play as early as next year.