The following is a guest post from Rich Patch, a field producer for Turning Point. Watch new episodes of Turning Point every Tuesday at 10pm ET/8pm MT on BYUtv.
Last spring we arrived to a ‘soccer field’ in East Los Angeles. Traveling and working with the Turning Point film crew means each day is different, but this morning's schedule would be fun. It was before 8am on a beautiful weekend morning, and as the soccer players started showing up we got ready to film a unique team practice.
In about 20 other cities, similar teams were gathering for similar team practices as part of the Street Soccer USA league. The terms "soccer team" and "league" connote certain images of uniformed or professional athletes. The players arriving this particular morning didn't look so much like a typical team of athletes, but rather a mismatched collection of silverware. They were different sizes, some wore basketball gear, not everyone had cleats and a few seemed better suited for a defensive lineup in football. This particular field was a long and narrow public recreation park, located under tall towers of power lines. It wasn't quite picturesque, but had a lot of open grass for practice games. Ironically, the team stretched and began the first warm-up exercise off of the grass, on the only slab of smooth concrete at the location: the basketball court. Street Soccer is played differently than what you are likely familiar with. The teams are smaller, the 'field' is smaller and is, well, a street. All of this means the ball, and the game, moves very fast.
As an added perk to our day, Lawrence Cann, Street Soccer USA's founder, was attending practice today too. Lawrence lives and works in New York City, and will quickly tell you that soccer is one activity he's loved since childhood. He knows the importance of practice and how it relates to performance. He always enjoys the opportunity when he can to visit other teams and train with the them.
As that small cement court filled with players doing handling and speed drills, it was obvious these guys had real skills. But, more than just ability, here was a group of guys that had drive and direction. This opportunity to play was a big deal to them, more than just a weekend game. They were taking the drills seriously, and having a lot of fun in testing themselves. After all, this was a beautiful day, and this LA team has the USA cup on their schedule in a few months.
Street Soccer is very cool to watch, and as we got to know more of the players, the 'street' part of the distinction meant more than just the field of play. Here was a group of young men that much of the community had already given up on, or doesn't know what to do with. A demographic that, as Lawrence knows well, has had a difficult past, but amazing potential for the future. Teamwork and dedication is about to lead them to success. Oh, and they play a little soccer in the process.