Youth Programming – Soccer In The Streets

STATIONSOCCER™

THE WORLD’S FIRST TRANSIT SOCCER LEAGUE

Station Soccer - Connecting Atlanta

Video by Artifact Design, narrated by Odetta Macleish-White

What is StationSoccer?

StationSoccer is a city-wide community project built around a vision to create a network of mini soccer fields and more, anchored by MARTA transit stations in Atlanta. Affordability and transportation hurdles mean many kids in metro Atlanta area do not have access to safe places to play soccer nor the resources required to travel.

Soccer in the Streets and its partners are closing those gaps by building and programming fields in and around MARTA transit stations. The goal is to build “A League of Stations” whereby kids and adults can represent their own station community and play other station teams by using the public transit system. Through this new innovative place making project, our goal is to connect communities and help cultivate healthy lifestyles through sport and transit.

The Idea Behind Station Soccer

The idea for StationSoccer was born when Soccer in the Streets, Director of Strategic Projects, Sanjay Patel began taking MARTA on his daily commute in 2013 and noticed swaths of unused land, mostly empty parking lots- in and around train stations. Knowing that transportation was the biggest hurdle to sports participation for SITS youth and low- income youth everywhere, he had a lightbulb moment.

Inspired by multi-functional transportation hubs in his native country of England, he thought why can’t we build mini soccer fields on these patches of unused land and create a “League of Stations”. Although initially considered a crazy idea, MARTA gave Soccer in the Streets the approval to pilot the project in downtown Atlanta in 2016.

Power of Partnerships

Soon thereafter, Soccer in the Streets partnered with both the Atlanta United Foundation and MARTA in bringing this project to life, leading to our first StationSoccer project at Five Points Station – the first soccer field inside a train station in the world. The success of this pilot project led to more StationSoccer projects and partners also included the City of Atlanta Planning and Design, Transformation Alliance, Musco Lighting, Fieldturf, and others.

Today, Soccer in the Streets is working with partners to promote a new model for youth development, using soccer as the “hook” to provide life-changing programs, primarily focused on job readiness, that benefit thousands of kids around the city. Soccer in the Streets is also building a social impact sustainability model whereby our adult league soccer league revenues help support our youth programs at the StationSoccer sites.

All Locations

StationSoccer West End

Address: 680 LEE ST SW
Atlanta, GA
30306
Website: https://maps.app.goo.gl/naEemNPVqcpYt9AEA

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