A Crawford Soccer player is many notable things: 90% of our players are immigrants to the Untied States. 75% of these immigrants are refugees. All of these special players are learning English and American culture. Most of our players would be the first in their families to attend college. All of our players are gifted, motivated and impressively hard-working. They are building a very special high school soccer program that will last beyond their time as students at Crawford High School.

When my coaches and I arrived to rejuvenate the Crawford soccer program last season, we found an extremely motivated, highly talented group of young boys. Unfortunately, we were also faced with extremely limited resources; not enough matching jerseys; players without soccer cleats, shin guards or soccer shorts, and a budget that was completely tapped out. Some boys had to wear jerseys over ten years old we found in the back of an old storage shed. Humbly yet proudly sporting duct-taped numbers on the backs of their mismatched jerseys, a sight some less humble players might consider an embarrassment but that our Colts embraced as a mark of their uniqueness, these extraordinary boys made it all the way to the CIF final game in the 2013-2014 season.

At our initial meeting this year, over 80 boys showed up interested in playing for the program - an astounding turn out for a program that was on the brink of complete disintegration before my coaches and I arrived. But as it stands, we do not have the funds to accommodate this inspiring demand, and unless we raise this money, we will be forced to turn away a large percentage of these motivated players who desperately need this program.

Please help us raise the funds to equip this talented, driven group of young soccer players. Donations go directly towards ensuring our players are properly equipped to play high school soccer, including cleats, proper shin-guards, warmup shirts, and matching uniforms.