About Us > How Does CityKicks Do It

The girls bring themselves and CityKicks provides the rest

We connect with the girls right when the regular school day ends, before they have dispersed to their different neighborhoods. With most of Boston's middle schools dismissing at 1:30 PM, plenty of time remains for soccer.

CityKicks supplies the coaching, refereeing, transportation, equipment, uniforms, field, game scheduling and all other organizing and coordination. The girls learn, practice and play soccer after school for seven to eight weeks in the fall and again in spring; they practice once or twice a week and play a weekly game on another afternoon. We play in the 7 v. 7 format, which maximizes the number of times each girl touches the ball and allows us to set up game fields in softball outfields, which are in much greater supply around the city than are full-sized, 11 v. 11 soccer fields.

During the winter months, CityKicks partners with local organizations to prepare our girls to make healthy life decisions. This winter we have partnered with Girls, Inc, AfterSchool Partners, The Healthworks Foundation, Eutopia Training Studio (Brookline), Girls LEAP, Friendly PEERsuasion, and Cultural Kitchen to provide 10 weeks of additional programming to girls at 10 schools.

We strive to maximize participation by making the experience inclusive and fun!

Teams are formed on a first-come, first-serve basis without try-outs or cuts. Every girl plays for at least half of each game, and no one plays in goal for more than a half. Coaches are encouraged to move players around to try different positions.

We celebrate good effort and sportsmanship more than we track game results and team standings. Just before every game, both teams line up around the center circle, alternating players from each team, and greet each other; then the entire group joins together in a cheer for CityKicks. After the post-game handshake, players from both teams may travel homeward together in the same vans.

Rather than playoffs, every June we hold a Jamboree where all the girls come together for a round robin of fun mini-games, nutritious refreshments, and guest appearances by professional players. As one participant put it, "I have learned that everything is not about winning or losing, it's about having a good time."

Support...

I like that we play against other schools just for fun and to learn how to play the sport, also to keep in shape.