Soccer Without Borders
Annual Report 2024 | Table of Contents

Our Mission
Our mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing underserved youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, and personal success. We envision a more inclusive and equitable world through soccer, where all youth reach their inherent potential.
Coming Soon!
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear SWB Community,
I started 2024 by participating in the SWB Youth Festival in Kampala, Uganda where we served over 440 youth in one week and celebrated with the slogan of Look, Learn and Shine Together. Unbeknownst to the SWB Uganda team, that slogan epitomizes the amazing year Soccer Without Borders (SWB) had in 2024!
Look - One of the hardest skills to automate in your soccer game play is looking up and scanning the pitch while maintaining control of the ball before making the pass. SWB truly actualized this skill -- we looked up, scanned the community and their needs, enhanced what was in our control, and connected the pass, bringing what we do best with youth who need us.
SWB observed:
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Youth in need of support, guidance and a place where they find security and belonging to counter the increased self-reported incidents of suicidal ideations, depression, bullying, anxiety and overarching stress in trying to fit in.
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The benefits of our soccer and educational programming clearly influencing positive physical, mental and behavioral health outcomes – evidencing daily that SWB’s programming does increase the social determinants of health for our youth and the youth and families know we help because the youth we served jumped from 4,500 in 2023 to almost 7,800 in 2024.
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Schools also see increased positive benefits of academic and student engagement with SWB participants – our youth care about their futures and their educational attainment proving our work is interdisciplinary, going beyond teaching kids to play a sport but helping kids succeed in positive health and education outcomes.
Learn - Maintaining a growth mindset is not just something we teach our youth but an openness to always improving our programs, processes, and policies so SWB is effective and efficient. We squeeze every penny out of each donor dollar to improve youth outcomes.
SWB realized that:
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SWB needs to work smarter, not just harder. One way we do this is by optimizing technology in 2024. We utilize Upshot (data/MEL tracking), Leapsome (goals and performance management), Thinkific (learning management system), JustWorks (HR and compliance), and are onboarding Hubspot for communications and fundraising integration.
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SWB is wise. Our team of over 105 full and part time staff members have so much to learn from and share with each other. We are evolving our operations and culture to one where our teams are not only working in their areas of expertise and their geographies, but evolving into communities of practice – flywheels, as Jim Collins would call them in Good to Great – whereby our learnings can be shared and exchanged for improved practice with our youth and coaches, consistently.
Shine - We have proven to be a validated practice worth replicating, shown through hard data, consistent and robust methodologies, the lived experiences of our youth and alumni, and investments in our mission impacts.
SWB lit up 2024 by:
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Conducting an average of 15 activities with youth every day.
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Having the National Institute of Health invest in a 5-year research study on SWB’s Meet Me On the Pitch (MMOTP) methodology to validate whether SWB can be an evidenced-based DNA-V intervention for youth who are recovering from trauma.
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Onboarding ___ new institutional donors and raising ________ from individuals in 2024. And, we received a $1M unrestricted investment from MacKenzie Scott through Yield Giving to grow our practices and promising outcomes.
"[SWB participants] have a group of people they can trust, those they can talk to. Because it's not just a team, it's a family that's formed when you're in this type of program." - Heradio, SWB Bay Area Participant
Thank you, for supporting SWB in 2024 and with your continued support, we intend to continue being a safe space for many in 2025!

With gratitude and appreciation,
Jennifer Tepper
SWB Executive Director
Who We Serve
Soccer is known as the "world's game" because of its ability to transcend language and culture and unite the global community around a shared passion. At SWB, each of our participants come to us with their own unique experiences and backgrounds. Regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, economic means, cultural background, or language spoken at home, our programs are designed to be a safe space where all participants feel welcomed and included.
Fiscal Year 2024 By the Numbers:

7757
Registered Program Participants

2743
TEAM Program Participants

5607
Total Activities Held At Hubs & SWB Assist

48%
SWB Program Participants Identifying as Girls

73
Different Countries of Origin Represented at SWB

48
Unique Languages Spoken Across SWB
Countries Represented by SWB Participants
Soccer’s power to unite is unmatched, bringing together people from all walks of life. The SWB community reflects this beautifully, connecting participants worldwide through the universal language of play.
Top Languages Spoken at SWB:
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Spanish
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English
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Swahili
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Tigrinya
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Arabic
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French
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Mam
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Dari
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Portguese
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Kinyarwanda
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"It’s a community that brings everyone together. It’s a community where they only bring up the good stuff. No one talks bad about each other. You make a lot of new friends and meet other people from different countries." -Basit, SWB Participant


People & Culture
Both on the field and off, our passionate team brings a culture of welcoming and inclusion to life. Operating through a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion, we strive to be authentic in all we do and by ensuring that our staff and volunteers understand, represent, and reflect the communities we serve.
Fiscal Year 2024 By the Numbers:

109
Full & Part-Time SWB Staff Members

486
Volunteers Serving SWB Programing, Fundraising, Boards, & More

54%
Full-Time Staff Identifying as Women

34%
Coaches Identifying as Refugees, Immigrants, Ugandan or Nicaraguan

17
Countries of Origin Represented by Staff

47
Average Coach Tenure in Months

4.8
Full-Time Staff Tenure in Years

30%
Staff Members
Are Program Alumni
What We Do
Our program hubs deliver holistic, youth-development programming throughout the year, and are designed to 'get them to the field'. We work to eliminate obstacles that too often keep under-served youth from participating in the game they love: all of our programs are free of charge, transportation is provided, and all of the necessary equipment is supplied.
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TEAM Programs
TEAM Programs
TEAM is a "Spanglish" acronym that stands for "trabajando en equipo aprendemos más" or "working as a team we learn more." Our TEAM programs are our most comprehensive programs. Combining soccer, education, and community-building more than 36 weeks/year, each is uniquely tailored to meet the unique needs of the specific community and fill in gaps where there aren't other service providers. Whether school-based or community-based, TEAM program activities include soccer practices and games, tutoring, homework support, English language instruction, team-building trips, leadership groups, mentoring, and social-emotional learning to support each participant to reach their goals on and off the field.

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Camps
& Clinics
Camps & Clinics
Our soccer camps and clinics are a condensed version of a typical SWB season or practice session, but often with extra surprises! Each camp has a specific purpose. Whether it be outreach to new communities, introducing soccer for the first time, supporting different age groups beyond our TEAM programs, or something else, all are designed to support the whole person. Our range of activities usually starts with soccer, but can also include art, dance, music, cultural celebrations, yoga, and more. Additionally, summer and school holidays can be an isolating and challenging time, especially for newcomer youth who may experience language loss when away from school. Our summer camps and clinics combine soccer with English language instruction and academic support to keep youth engaged in learning and connected to a community of teammates throughout their time off.

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Leagues
& Tournaments
Leagues & Tournaments
Our leagues and tournaments are not about lifting trophies. Rather, they are designed to strengthen community cohesion, teach social-emotional skills, and raise awareness and knowledge about specific social issues. Creating our own leagues emerged as a priority as many of our participants and teams either couldn't access existing leagues due to transportation barriers and regulations for foreign-born players or, in the case of our girls' teams in Nicaragua and Uganda, because no leagues for girls existed.
"The thing that stood out the most regarding the girls engagement is how genuinely excited, happy, and grateful they were to simply be participating. Before every session, as soon as they got there, the kids immediately ran up and hugged us and their coaches and at the end of every session again, gave hugs and thanked us for being there." Melisa, Volunteer at SWB Nicaragua's TEAM Camp


Program Outcomes
Our evidence-based program design was born out of thousands of hours of programming, hundreds of conversations, and countless pages of research. We synthesized it all into a clear Theory of Change that puts young people at the center, surrounds them with supportive peers, coaches, and mentors, and draws a throughline from our inputs and activities to our vision of a more inclusive and equitable world, where all youth reach their inherent potential.
Our program model combines soccer practices and games with educational support and community-building activities focused on whole person youth development. Our programs are trauma-informed and designed to create a sense of belonging, build individual agency, and provide avenues for every youth to feel valued and contribute. Below, you will find program outcome statistics from FY24 that stand as examples of our Theory of Change in action.
Belonging
In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, safety and belonging are essential basic needs. This means that in order to optimize education outcomes and personal goals, we must first make sure that youth feel safe, welcomed, and experience belonging. The data presented provides evidence of positive development, as demonstrated by responses to socio-emotional learning (SEL) themed surveys.
Connected to relationships skills, social awareness and self awareness domains of social-emotional learning skills. Leads to gender, racial and ethnic equity.
FY24 Youth Survey Results
93%
"I feel safe at Soccer Without Borders."
91%
"I feel comfortable being myself."
93%
"I make friends with those from other cultures."
93%
"I feel like I am part of the SWB community"
*Total percentage of positive responses..

Contribution
Team sports present endless opportunities to practice leadership skills. At SWB, we create opportunities for participants to develop their leadership through captainships, refereeing, coaching, public speaking, mentoring, service projects, and more.
Connected to self awareness domain of social-emotional learning skills. Leads to gender, racial and ethnic equity.
+16%
"Practicing English at SWB helps me feel more confident using English in other places."
+21%
"I know how I can use my interests and skills to make my community better."
+14%
"I participate in activities that make my community better, such as volunteering or cleaning up litter."
*Percent increase of positive responses from baseline to endline surveys.

Agency
Agency – the sense of control that one feels in their life – is an essential outcome of our Theory of Change. To address this, as part of our holistic, evidence-based approach, we provide participants with academic and language support, college preparation, leadership development, and life-skills workshops.
Connected to self management, self awareness and social awareness domains of social-emotional learning skills. Leads to equity and community cohesion.
+20%
"I know how to deal with my emotions when I'm disapointed."
+16%
I can stay calm even when things get stressful"
+12%
"I speak up for equality."
*Percent increase of positive responses from baseline to endline surveys.

Stories of Impact
This past year was filled with moments that uplifted, inspired, and reminded us of soccer’s transformative power. These stories highlight the voices of our participants, the strength of our coaches, and the collective spirit that fuels Soccer Without Borders. Together, they illustrate the impact of creating spaces where everyone can thrive.
From breaking down barriers to building lifelong connections, these stories reflect the incredible resilience of our youth and the power of community. They serve as a testament to what is possible when opportunity, mentorship, and joy come together to create change.
USA Hub Highlights

SWB Bay Area
Through in-school, after-school, weekend, and summer programs, Soccer Without Borders Bay Area (formerly known as SWB Oakland) is a crucial resource to newcomer refugee and immigrant youth across Alameda and San Francisco Counties. As leaders in social inclusion and getting girls in the game, and as active participants in the Bay Area sports-based youth development community, SWB Bay Area also hosts free, intentional leagues where under resourced youth from other organizations can play. SWB Bay Area also leads trainings for coaches to build more equitable program spaces for youth.

Growth and Impact with Further Expansion into the Bay Area
Last summer, we were thrilled to announce that our Oakland hub will now officially be known as SWB Bay Area. This change reflects a recent expansion of our soccer, education, and community-building programs into the city of San Francisco, alongside our established programs in Oakland and Hayward. This expansion and subsequent name change are the result of a new and exciting partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). This partnership, which officially began at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, was initiated by SFUSD as a way to meet the academic, social, and community support needs of English Language Learner (ELL) students in the district. (Click here for more.)

Bay FC and SWB Bay Area Create Meaningful Connections
The impact of seeing—and learning from—professional role models was on full display this September when SWB Bay Area welcomed Bay FC to the field. 50 girls from SWB’s middle and high school teams trained alongside Bay FC players Carolina Conte, Joelle Anderson, and Caprice Dydasco, taking on agility drills and a juggling challenge while gaining valuable insight from women at the pinnacle of the sport. The partnership continued off the pitch, as SWB youth were invited to two home matches, and Lupe, a standout defender from Castlemont High School, proudly represented SWB as Bay FC’s honorary captain in their match against Orlando Pride.

Bridging Generations at the Women's Alumni Tournament
December’s Women’s Alumni Tournament in SWB Bay Area set a new record, with 30 alumni from the past 13 years joining 35 current high school participants in an inspiring display of community and connection. This event is more than just a game; it’s a tradition that celebrates the ongoing journey of SWB players beyond their years in the program. Alumni returned not just to compete, but to mentor, uplift, and encourage the next generation, reinforcing the values of teamwork, resilience, and leadership that define SWB. As they reconnected with former teammates and built new relationships, they strengthened a network that continues to empower young women long after they leave the field.
Fiscal Year 2024:

1,181
Participants at SWB Bay Area

48,743
Total Contact Hours at SWB Bay Area
