After months of competition, on Sunday, April 24th, The Soccer Pit Cobras U-19 team lost in the finals of the Florida President’s Cup Championship Game. The next step would have been to represent our state in the Regional Tournament.
Surprise! The next day we were invited to the Regionals as a wildcard! GO COBRAS!
The Regional tournament will be in Frisco, TX, June 14-19, 2022.
This team has the skill and the desire to compete and win but needs the money to get there.
Our budget for the trip is $20,000, which includes traveling to Frisco in vans (an 18-hour ride), lodging (players sleep 4 to a room), and $30 per day for food for each.
So far, we have raised $5,000 from two individuals and two organizations. We are reaching out to past sponsors and friends of the club and we are planning fundraisers. But, the short timeframe makes it difficult to plan fundraisers, especially while the team has regular season games for the next few weeks. This is why we are asking for your help.
The Soccer Pit Youth Athletic Club, Inc. is a community-based 501(c)(3) designated public charity in Immokalee, Florida. Every program is managed and staffed by volunteers so that every dollar we get supports our kids.
Most of our funds (about 75%) come from grants, donations, and sponsorships. Because we rely so on heavily volunteers and because of the generosity of our donors, grantors, and sponsors, we are able to keep our registration fees low – just a small fraction of what a player pays in coastal Collier County. Any special program, such as our upcoming trip to represent Florida at the Regional President’s Cup, requires special funding. This is where you can help.
The Soccer Pit was formed in 2008 to bring a structured soccer program to a community that is unlike the rest of Collier County, FL. Collier County and Naples are known as tourism hotspots, famous for beaches and fine dining. Immokalee, on the other hand, is primarily an agricultural town 30 miles inland. It is ranked among the ten poorest communities in Florida. Over 30% of its population lives below the poverty level, according to US census data. This is a community that needs a helping hand and there are many organizations that work to provide assistance for basic needs.
The Soccer Pit works with many of these organizations and builds on their mission of strengthening the community. Our mission is to advance leadership, scholarship, and teamwork. We require academic achievement, we encourage parental involvement, and we teach technical soccer skills, integrity, respect, and we promote self-worth. As our players approach high school graduation, they are encouraged and assisted to seek opportunities for post-secondary education – college, university, technical training, or military. We also encourage them to use their soccer skills as a means to gain scholarships, where appropriate.
For many of these players, this trip will be their first time outside Florida or perhaps even the first time north of Orlando. Life experiences are somewhat limited in a small, impoverished inland community without adequate connecting bus service. The Soccer Pit strives to provide different opportunities that might stretch the players' horizons by entering leagues and tournaments. This is one of those opportunities. Aside from the different scenery and seeing the MLS National Soccer Hall of Fame, our players will meet other teams from across the southern US. Meeting the other teams and coaches is a highlight – there is common ground, and there is competition. Some college coaches will also be in attendance and will be scouting.
This trip to the Regional President’s Cup tournament in Frisco, TX in June is a great fit with the Soccer Pit’s commitment to its players, its mission, and its values.
Please donate and help send these 18 players on the trip of a lifetime.
For more info on the Soccer Pit see our website: soccerpitcobras.com