Mission 

            Soccer is the world’s greatest game because it unites people like none other. This is true across international borders as well as across socio-economic divisions in society. AWFC uses soccer to achieve social integration for its players who, as homeless individuals, find themselves relegated to the margins of society.

Healthy living, a constructive use of leisure time, a community of teammates that supports you, a personal relationship with people who can help you achieve your goals— these ingredients are the keys to anyone’s well being; AWFC provides these ingredients to the people who need them most.

As a byproduct of empowering its players through the innovative use of soccer, AWFC raises awareness about homelessness in communities that otherwise feel disconnected from the issue.

Vision

           Over the next year AWFC will establish itself as a fixture in the Charlotte community and produce insightful outcome measurements for the program. AWFC will serve as a blueprint for homeless soccer programs in other cities. Soon the United States will be able to hold its own national qualifying among several teams for the chance to represent our country in future Homeless World Cups. Such an infrastructure delivers soccer to communities that never had access to soccer. At the same time it engages communities in the issue of homelessness that never felt connected to or may not have understood homelessness.

How the Team Works

          AWFC is operated in collaboration with the Urban Ministry Center, Covenant Presbyterian, Charlotte Soccer Club, Davidson College, Parks and Recreation, and Bank of America. Thanks to this cooperative effort, instruction, equipment, facilities, food, and transportation are available to the AWFC squad.

         Participants in the program practice twice weekly and play games once a week during four different seasons. In between and even during seasons, scrimmages and workshops are also conducted with the team. Players pay no fee, but must establish a record of attendance and behavior to represent the team during a game. Players are not banned from the team for substance abuse, but no player under the influence of any substance may participate in a practice or game. Thanks to the intimate relationships AWFC staff forms with its players, AWFC can always insure that its players are ready to play hard and rise to the challenge. For this reason, the team has record of respect from its opponents after a full season of league play. In fact, our opponents in some cases have turned into donors and volunteers for the club.

       After establishing a record of attendance and cooperative behavior participants may become team members. All team members must meet with Urban Ministry Center staff social workers to establish 3, 6, and 12-month personal goals, thus providing personalized outcome results that take account for the diversity of obstacles that confront the extremely heterogeneous homeless population.

History

           AWFC was founded in July of 2004. With the support of founding homeless community members such as Tony Kelly, Ray Isaac, Ken Smothers, Luis Hernandez, Jeanine Brown, Jeremiah and Daniel Livingston, and Abdul Wright, AWFC became and instant success. AWFC is a story of success and camaraderie which has only just begun.