20 Years Through the Eyes of Soccer Without Borders Coaches

For some participants, SWB creates opportunities they have never experienced before.

Coach Milosz Fernandez-Kepka, from SWB Bay Area, remembers taking a group of players on a trip to Lake Tahoe.

“Several of them had never seen snow before. At one point we all got together and had a giant snowball fight. It was such a fun experience.”

Moments like these remind coaches that the impact of a team can stretch far beyond the soccer field.

Coach Erin Crossley, from SWB Colorado, remembers volunteering with an all-girls middle school team that competed in a league made up mostly of co-ed teams.

Watching the players compete helped shift how some of them saw themselves.

“I had seen girls repeatedly make themselves smaller in different spaces. But on this team, they played with confidence and pride.”

Across SWB hubs, coaches continue to see how the game creates space for young people to grow into their voice.

In the Bay Area, one middle school participant recently stepped into an unexpected role.

After impressing Bay FC during a youth media event, she was selected as a junior reporter at the NWSL Championship.

She attended events, interviewed professional players, and asked questions in front of the cameras.

For coaches like Alexis Catt, moments like this show how confidence gained on a team can extend far beyond the field.

Some memories happen under bright lights.

Coach Kat Sipes recalls the excitement when SWB youth were invited to serve as flag bearers at the 2015 Gold Cup.

“It was chaotic but so fun to see our participants on the field on national TV, walking out with so much pride.”

And after the excitement of the ceremony?

“The highlight for them was getting chicken tenders and fries and watching the game together.”

For many coaches, the most meaningful memories come from relationships that last for years.

One Baltimore family had been involved with SWB since the early days of the program. When they moved away, the community threw them a farewell celebration.

Less than a year later, they returned.

Their reason was simple. They missed the community they had found through SWB.

Sometimes belonging shows up in the smallest moments.

Volunteer photographer Norway Dolan, from SWB Massachusetts, remembers middle school girls asking her to take action photos of them during their game. Another favorite moment was when younger players ran up to greet her with hugs before winter practice.

Small gestures like these remind coaches that SWB teams often become a place where young people feel truly seen.

Across hubs, coaches consistently mention graduations and end-of-year celebrations as highlights.

These events bring together teammates, families, coaches, and community members to reflect on a season of growth.

As Kat Sipes shared:

“Graduations are such a beautiful time across all SWB hubs. It’s a time to celebrate, reflect, and recognize the connections that participants and families create.”

Some memories come from difficult times.

Coach Xavier Woodyard joined SWB Maryland in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, when programming had to adapt quickly to keep youth connected.

Despite the challenges, coaches organized socially distanced practices and found ways to stay present for participants navigating an uncertain time.

Those experiences showed just how committed the community was to showing up for young people.

Lauren Bryant, volunteer from SWB Colorado, remembers a game with an Aurora girls’ high school team where one player had been struggling to score all season.

Her teammates never stopped believing in her.

When she finally scored, the entire team erupted in celebration.

It was a reminder that a team can help someone see strengths they might not yet see in themselves.