The Concept

Use soccer as the vehicle to introduce athletic, educational and cultural programs to young people living in disadvantaged areas of Los Angeles.

Founder Hugo Salcedo, an Olympic athlete and a leader in national and international soccer organizations, believed that soccer could be a catalyst for cultural and educational growth. He developed Southern California Youth Soccer Organization (SCYSO) as a way to bring stable and organized leadership to the dozens of unaffiliated soccer leagues operating in Los Angeles. By training coaches, organizing leagues and tournaments and advocating for more and improved facilities, SCYSO works to provide an enhanced soccer experience for disadvantaged youth while incorporating opportunities for educational advancement.

The Challenge

Transition from an all-volunteer effort to a more professional organization.

In 1999, the Los Angeles Amateur Athletic Foundation (AAF) steered a then-fledgling SCYSO to Community Partners. The program had promise, they believed, but was not yet ready to be funded. At the end of 2001, with seed funding that came from AAF, Executive Director Joe Supe took a personal leap of faith, quitting his full-time job with the City of Santa Ana to become a full-time employee of SCYSO. “It’s certainly a challenge, but I really believe in the program. Now I can really work toward expanding horizons for SCYSO.”

How Community Partners Has Helped

“It’s been an intense learning experience,” says Joe of SCYSO’s time with Community Partners. Joe has worked on strategic and long-range planning, budgeting, volunteer development and more with Community Partners’ staff. Joe credits SCYSO’s affiliation with Community Partners for paving the way to the key partnerships he’s developed with city and county governments, foundations and other community-based organizations,

In the last two years, SCYSO has hosted 26 tournaments involving nearly 80,000 players. They’ve hosted a career planning day, parenting clinics, numerous coaching clinics and taken teens on tours of local college and university campuses. A partnership with L.A. County recently resulted in a Murray Hayden Parks grant – $40 million to develop new soccer fields within the county. “That’s a nice relationship,” said Joe.

SOURCE: Community Partners 2001-2002 Biennial Report

PROJECT STATUS: SCYSO has been a project of Community Partners since 2000 and continues to introduce disadvantaged young people to soccer.

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