Ben is the Founder and Oakland Director of Soccer Without Borders, whose mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing under-served youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, and personal success. During our conversation, we discuss how Soccer Without Borders welcomes newcomers to the country and mitigate the dropout rate of players transitioning from middle school to high school, address barriers such as accessibility, the invaluable support of the team in creating community, as well as a couple upcoming donation opportunities.

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Email: [email protected]

Website: www.soccerwithoutborders.org

0:20 background in soccer and what Ben is doing now

3:45 transition from middle school to high school and the drop-out rate

7:30 increasing accessibility for students to supportive programming

10:00 how Ben’s experience of travelling across the country supports his work of helping migrants who have traveled to the U.S.

12:30 the birth of Soccer Without Borders

18:30 players can opt-in to the program; they join because they WANT to be there

25:00 donation opportunities; donation drive 3/20 and footgolf tournament 3/27

30:30 upcoming events in 2021

33:30 Final three coaching points

38:00 One piece of advice for any coach