CSUEB assistant soccer coach reaching out to underserved NorCal youth programs

• October 1, 2013 8:00am

Cal State East Bay assistant soccer coach Nick Lusson discussed his outreach efforts to youth soccer programs throughout Northern California with Soccer America magazine.

Lusson told Reporter Mike Woitalla that his biggest challenge was targeting low-income communities, “They don’t have a big volunteer base. They don’t have a lot of finances. They don’t have the level of relationship with their cities for field access.” He added, “They have some incredible players. But the club struggles with their paperwork and administrative stuff.”

His concern is that talented youth competing in under-resourced leagues will miss out on key opportunities. “We have to have this diversity,” said Lusson. “Hayward Youth Soccer Club is a perfect example. It’s one of the clubs we’re working with. Hayward had two boys who made the national team pool.”

“There are cultural and socio-economic dynamics going on here. That's been an intriguing conversation going on with these clubs [upper-class suburban clubs and the low-income community clubs] that was an unintended facet of this undertaking.”

Read, “Aiming to bridge gap between the haves and have-nots”

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