From the Field
Stories from Grassroot Soccer employees in the field, including the first-hand accounts of GRS Interns.
Finding Courage Through Skillz
Grassroot Soccer continues to make an impact on the lives of the youth who participate in our programs. The following story from Skillz Coach Siyabonga “Glen” Mgwadlen, from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, captures the power of our programs to create positive change for both our Skillz Coaches and participants.
I’ll never forget our first intervention at [...]
IMF Managing Director Calls GRS “Inspirational”
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, made time during a whirlwind trip to South Africa to visit Grassroot Soccer in Soweto yesterday. In between meetings with the Minister of Finance, business leaders, and students at the Witwatersrand University to discuss the challenges facing the South African economy, Mr. Strauss-Kahn was received at [...]
Master Coach Titie Plaatjie Features In New Book “Eleven”
Nolusindiso ‘Titie’ Plaatjie, of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, has recently been featured in the book ELEVEN: Making Lives Better, 11 Stories of Development Through Football. Written by Steve Fleming, co-founder of GRS Implementing Partner Kick4Life, and co-edited by streetfootballworld, the book tells stories of eleven extraordinary individuals, each of whom has been transformed by the [...]
GRS Coach Lunga Sidzumo Wins Mac Aids Fellowship
As a young leader in the fight against HIV and AIDS, Grassroot Soccer South Africa Coach Lunga Sidzumo, from Khayelitsha, was recently awarded a prestigious MAC AIDS Leadership Initiative Fellowship. Through a year-long training and development program, the fellowship supports leaders who have made significant contributions to reducing the spread and impact of HIV and [...]
The Revolution’s Chris Tierney Spends His Off-Season With GRS
Chris Tierney, a wide left midfielder for the New England Revolution, spent a month of his off season not vacationing with friends and family, but volunteering for HIV/AIDS outreach with Grassroot Soccer in South Africa.
Tierney is 24 and heading into his third season with the Revolution. The Massachusetts native graduated from the University of Virginia [...]