Saturday, Kevin Gassaway and Troop 162 spearheaded an effort to build walls for the outdoor Street Soccer court at the Urban Ministry Center. Thanks for all your hard work! Below, Kevin shares his experience.
Today I spent the morning at the Urban Ministry Center with the Street Soccer 945 team and with several members of my Boy Scout Troop 162. We were there building a new wall for the street soccer court since the old one was run down and not in good condition. We cut 2x8's, painted plywood, drilled nails, and put the wall together. Craig(Swagger), Jose, Justin, Osman, Fransisco, Pete, Brittany, and other members of the team helped us out with the project.
After we finished building the wall, Swagger, Pete, and Brittany talked to us about the Street Soccer program. Swagger talked about the confidence that it brought him to play soccer and how it helped him not only on the court, but off it as well. When we finished hearing about his experience in the program, we got to test the walls out with a 3 on 3 Street Soccer Tournament, while we ate lunch with the players. Each team had 2 Boy Scouts and a member of the Street Soccer team. The Czech Republic (Jose, Anthony Dellamea, and Conor Renaghan) beat Mexico (Osman, Fransisco, and Brittany) in a shootout to win the tournament. The wall passed our test and worked out very well. Hopefully it will be helpful in the future as well.
The players were all really fun to play with and taught me a lot. They would help me if I did anything wrong and encouraged me and the rest of the group to do well. My team didn't get to win the tournament, but it was still a lot of fun to get to play with Swagger and all of the other players. Today was a really fun experience and I would love to play with them again, and even help out on the team.
Check out this video to see more.
To learn more about Street Soccer 945 and to get involved, contact Brittany at
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Wednesday night Street Soccer started off the season with a bang, defeating the Little Kickers 4-2. Passing effectively, keeping possession and finishing opportunities, the team notched their first victory. Check out this video if you missed the action. Next Wednesday Street Soccer plays at 7pm at Sports Connection off Westinghouse Blvd. Hope to see you there!
Street Soccer 945 is hosting a season kick-off event for volunteers and supporters at the Attic/Madison's at 200 N Tryon tomorrow, Thursday, January 28 from 6-8pm. A $20 donation will help pay for the league fee and new jerseys. This a great opportunity to come together with other Street Soccer supporters, enjoy food and drink, and learn more about the program and how to get involved. Hope to see you there!
Street Soccer 945 All Stars in Charlotte, NC defeated Team AA last night by a score of 5-2. The All Star team is made up of long time program participants who have taken significant steps towards achieving their life goals. Many players have participated in the Street Soccer USA Cup and the Homeless World Cup.
First, a look at last week's season opener. The first game of the season for the Street Soccer All Stars was a chilly one with a temperature of 35 degrees at kickoff. The players may have preferred different temperatures but we didn’t let that stop us from winning our first game! The first half was a thrilling one with all 4 of our goals scored. The scoring started off with the young gun Junior who easily put away a rebound of a shot from Jose Martinez. The two continued the scoring moments later when another close range shot from Junior was put in by Jose. The opposing team came back and tallied a long distance goal, but the team was not worried. We stood our ground and put together some nice passes to control possession for the remainder of the half. After a nice combination of passes in the midfield by Danny Martinez and Pablo the ball was slotted past the goalkeeper by Matt George. The scoring didn’t stop there, Michael McGregor aka Super Sub came on strong to put away a nice shot into the back of the net!
The second half was not as thrilling as the first but we continued to control the possession game. We strung some beautiful passes together all throughout the field from back to front with the help of the Danny Martinez and the McGregor brothers, Dave, Michael and Junior. There were some chances that could have been finished, but it is the first game of the season so those will be in the back of the net by next Thursday. Our opponents did their best to try and push men forward, but with the Tyler Scott and the scorer from the first half Jose in back there was no fear in our eyes. Even in the instance where they did get passed our defense our goal keeper Tim Cummin’s came up big with many close range saves. The end of the game finished 4-2 with the Street Soccer All Stars starting off the season 1-0.
Game 2 began with two quick goals for Street Soccer and a powerful field presence. Forward Jose’s quick acceleration allowed for threatening break aways which led to multiple goals. Without goal keeper Tim, Homeless World Cup veteran Dave stepped in the first half and achieved a shutout. In the second half he contributed further, receiving a pass across the top of the penalty box and powerfully placing it in the lower right corner of the net. Team AA came out strong in the second half scoring two goals. Vocal leadership and encouragement from Daniel in the net kept SS945 fired up to play quality defense and secure the win. Despite the slick surface of the outdoor turf and the falling rain, SS945 All Stars notched their second win of the season, under the leadership of newly appointed director Pete Fink. A big thank you to fans to who bared the weather to support the team! To find out about future games in the Charlotte area and get involved, contact Brittany Larson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
It was a bittersweet holiday season for Street Soccer 945. Coach, mentor, friend Rob Cann left the Urban Ministry Center and Street Soccer 945 to further his education. After four years with the program, Rob will be missed greatly. To say goodbye and send him off in Street Soccer style, Coach Pete organized the first annual Street Soccer and Friends of Rob Cann Cup to take place every year in the weeks preceding Christmas. Friends from Watershed Church, Street Soccer players, volunteers, and alumni from years past gathered at for a 6-team tournment. The yellow team placed first after deafeating their semi-final and final opponents. Everyone enjoyed the chance to come together, place soccer, enjoy each other's company, and celebrate Rob. "He was one of the best coaches I've ever had" says midfielder Mamadi. "He's a great guy with a great personality. He likes helping out people and that's what I like about him. Rob helped us find employment, transportation and improve our soccer skills. We're really going to miss him."
On his last day at the Urban Ministry Center, players, staff, friends, and neighbors gathered to celebrate Rob. Friends took the microphone and expressed their feelings and well wishes to him. Players and friends presented Rob with a scrapbook of photos and messages and a wallhaning of signatures designed by 945 forward, Luis. Mamadi summed it up, "Street Soccer won't be the same without him."
The Urban Ministry Center is currently looking for a program director. Please send your resume to Dale Mullenix at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in applying.
Team Blue
Team Green
Team Navy
Team White
Team Yellow
Group shot
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