Access to Play: Our Impact

Thirty leagues and tournaments and counting.

In the past year alone, Soccer Without Borders operated 30 leagues and tournaments across our programs. Each one is designed to remove barriers and create consistent access to free, safe, and welcoming play. These opportunities bring the 'Beautiful Game' to communities where youth often lack structured spaces for sport. More than just matches, they build connection, confidence, and community.

From parks across Baltimore to pitches in the Bay Area and Colorado, to fields across Uganda, our leagues welcome youth from all backgrounds to connect through the game that is universally loved. In some cities, middle school leagues bring students from different schools together for weekly match days. In others, youth leaders step into coaching roles, helping organize, lead, and mentor younger players. Across the network, every league and tournament is rooted in community and designed to create access where it’s needed most.

Who Plays and Why It Matters

SWB leagues are built to welcome youth who often face barriers to joining traditional sports programs. Participants come from a wide range of backgrounds, languages, and life experiences, whether they’ve played for years or are stepping onto the field for the first time.

These leagues offer more than just time to play. They create a consistent space where young people build friendships, work together, and experience the joy of being part of a team. Winning isn’t the focus. Showing up, trying one's best, and supporting each other is.

By partnering with schools, community organizations, and more we’re making it easier for youth to connect with the game and with each other, no matter where they’re starting from.

More Than a Game

In SWB leagues, growth happens on and off the field. Through weekend match days, trusted coaches, and consistent team routines, youth develop confidence, practice emotional regulation, and learn how to work through challenges together.

Refereeing a match, shaking hands after a tough game, or simply showing up each week builds habits that shape how young people approach school, relationships, and their futures. These moments may seem small, but they’re how leadership takes root.

For many participants, league play is the first step toward becoming a team captain, a youth coach, or a role model in their community.

Representation on the Sidelines

Across SWB leagues, young people are guided by coaches and mentors who reflect their identities, languages, and lived experiences. Many SWB coaches are alumni of our programs, and several were once newcomers themselves, now returning to lead the next generation.

For girls especially, having relatable role models can be the difference between joining a team or feeling excluded. In the U.S., only 27% of coaches identify as women – a gap that reinforces barriers to participation and visibility in sport.

SWB is committed to changing that. We actively invest in recruiting, training, and supporting women coaches, while also building pathways for alumni and others with lived experience to step into leadership. Our goal is simple: when youth look to the sidelines, they see someone who truly understands them.

By the Numbers

Fiscal Year 2024

Leagues & Tournaments

Camps &

Clinics

48%

SWB Participants Identifying as Girls

Full-Time SWB Staff Identifying as Women

54%

30%

SWB Staff Who Are Program Alumni

SWB Participants in Leadership Roles

225

League & Tournament Spotlights

Global Goal 5 Leagues

Since 2018, SWB’s GG5 leagues have created new opportunities for girls to play, lead, and thrive through soccer. The model was built to align with Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and responds to the persistent gap in play equity for girls in underserved communities. Through school-based leagues, community events, and leadership opportunities, GG5 creates a space where girls feel seen, supported, and inspired to stay in the game.

More than just game time, GG5 includes youth-led action plans that spark conversation and awareness around gender equity. At each site, girls identify barriers they face in their communities and create initiatives to address them—ranging from menstrual health access to girls-only practice spaces. These projects foster confidence, connection, and real-world skills.

What started in Nicaragua has since grown into a hub-wide movement across the U.S. and beyond. GG5 continues to evolve through the leadership of girls themselves, shaping how SWB designs programming that is safe, supportive, and truly inclusive of all identities.

Learn More