I’m certainly not the first person to point this out, but athletes can and will make differences in the lives of others, especially the young people who come to look up to them.

The former captain of the Mexican Women’s National Team, University of Notre Dame defender, and 11th overall selection by the Boston Breakers of the WUSA in 2002, Monica Gonzalez, went to Chicago with the intention of playing professional soccer, and by chance ended up establishing a soccer academy for underprivileged Latina girls. In addition to coaching young girls in the beautiful game, the staff of Gonzo Soccer are also teaching important life skills, providing academic support, and exposing their players to a myriad of opportunities that will hopefully allow them to take on their future with confidence and aspire for more in life.

Monica was kind enough to share her story in establishing Gonzo Soccer and she tells us more about the important people who make the academy possible.

A special thanks to Monica for taking the time to talk to AWK, and Alyse LaHue for helping to make this interview possible!

All White Kit: Describe Gonzo Soccer and what it offers. What do you hope to achieve with such programs and why do you think it is important to have these types of personal, athletic and academic support systems available/accessible?
Monica Gonzalez: Well, first of all, these programs are important because the statistics for obesity, drug and alcohol use, pregnancies, and gang/domestic violence for Latina girls in America are going the wrong way. Secondly, they are important because these girls have just as much potential as students and as athletes as anyone else, so it’s important to have women from all walks of life educated and in the social and economic mainstream. It’s how America remains genuinely diverse.

Gonzo Soccer is an after-school program that offers soccer training, life-skills and leadership lessons, and academic assistance. What separates our after-school program from any other is the fact that our coaches all played soccer in college and many played professionally, so our girls are not only being trained by the area’s top coaches, they are being influenced on a regular basis by wonderful role models who know how to transmit the guidance and life lessons that sports participation offers. Each session we also either do a writing lesson, or a life-skills lesson, much of it similar to GoGirlGo [edit: GoGirlGo link], but with a touch of sport psychology in there as well. We also take field trips to Red Stars games, and through a sponsorship with Ringling Bros, were invited to sit front row at Disney on Ice.

AWK: How did the journey of establishing Gonzo Soccer begin?
MG: By accident. I had just moved to Chicago to try to play pro soccer and needed work in the meantime, so I went into the Hispanic community to try to put on a clinic. When the clinic was over, the girls began to ask when the next one was, and the owner of ChiTown Futbol [edit: ChiTown Futbol link] told me that people were asking him as well, so I spoke with him and he graciously said, “Use the field. I love what you are doing for these girls”. So, it turned into an every Monday affair. And little by little I started to add on the life-skills and other components. Girls of any socioeconomic background in any part of any country need to learn core values of teamwork, discipline, etc. and I already had experience with many of the ways the Women’s Sports Foundation [edit: Women’s Sports Foundation link] impacts young women through sport, so I just let it take on a life of its own.

AWK: It must be very satisfying to hear about the positive impact that Gonzo Soccer has had for these underprivileged girls. A few of them have been able to earn scholarships to play club soccer and even to play for a private high school; more generally, some of them have gotten opportunities and experiences that they may not have thought were possible. Tell us more about these success stories ["success" can be measured in many different ways].
MG: Many people say education is exposure. If the girls can physically be on a college campus, or in a stadium watching women play soccer as their job, the girls can actually feel a bit of what it would be like to have that be their life, and that is where goals and dreams are born. It’s important. And inspiring. It’s not difficult to get some of these girls connected with scholarships to summer camps, or even private schools…scholarships are out there, it’s just a matter of finding them, of teaching the girls to find them and then making the call. Luckily, the staff at Gonzo Soccer is well-connected in the soccer world, and we are always looking out for the right fit for our girls.

AWK: What kind of feedback have you gotten from the young players and their parents?
MG: All very positive. The parents trust us, and we have had meetings with them as well, because they are the decision-makers and often are the root of their children’s problems with things like nutrition, academic discipline, etc., so we try to maintain a close relationship with the parents and implement surveys to check our progress as well.

AWK: I have noticed that some Chicago Red Stars staff and players from Northwestern University are among those who help out at Gonzo Soccer. Can you tell us more about your staff?
MG: Women. Mentors. Great players. Great people.

I want my girls to train hard, the same as if they were a select team training for a national championship. I want coaches who push the players, who know how to correct and help them improve every day, and who are good enough people to stick around after and visit with the girls about life. My coaches are Gonzo Soccer’s greatest asset, for these reasons and because they know how to steer the girls onto the right path, and care enough to say, “This girl is good, let’s get her onto a club soccer team”, and then make the call to someone we know who can help. A few of the coaches played NCAA Division I and are now CPS [edit: Chicago Public School] teachers, so I have given them the liberty of implementing some project-based math and writing programs.

AWK: Speaking of the Red Stars, what type of partnership does Gonzo Soccer maintain with the WPS club? Why is important for professional sports teams to be involved in the local community?
MG: Before the WPS even began, I became a fan of the Red Stars, simply because they had their website up first and I saw that they had already begun community outreach. Pro soccer in America would not be where it is without the Latino fan support but the Red Stars are genuinely interested in helping where they can, simply because they can. It is exemplary of the women’s game…we really are all on one team. The WPS is something to experience with family, and the Red Stars have provided tickets for our girls and their families to go to several games. Natalie Spilger came out and spoke with our girls about being “green” and a few Gonzo Girls were even selected to partake in the Red Stars Junior Advisory Board. On the flip-side, it is always good for pro players to get out into the community as a reminder of the power they have as role models who can have a positive impact.

AWK: Bake sales, grant money, websites that help facilitate donations to nonprofits, as well as social media and other avenues are used to promote and raise funds for Gonzo Soccer. What kind of results have you had so far? What are some of the challenges that you face in terms of securing funding and sponsorship?
MG: From what I hear, it takes about 2 years to establish a non-profit and gain credibility with respect to funders. I’d have to say we have made it through the first year and a half because of the soccer moms and dads that I have met throughout the years who received an email from me last December with the link to our Firstgiving Fundraising page. The expensive part of soccer are field rentals and coaching, which makes the owner of Chitown Futbol our unsung hero… he forwent profits by saving a field for us every week since May 2009. I’ve been fortunate to have had many good people around me who are touched by what we do and the girls we work with. Everyone making a small sacrifice goes a long way for others. I’ve learned how to write grants and have sent in quite a few, we actually just were awarded our first one, so that is very exciting and gives us breathing room. There also seems to be lots of interest from corporate sponsors, so I will just keep plugging away, and as long as we can give them some “success” stories and some publicity, they will stay on board.

AWK: You have also been taking steps towards establishing Gonzo Soccer in Mexico. How has that been going?
MG: After Gonzo Soccer took a life of its own, one of the goals I set was to place the academies in places where talent lies but opportunity lacks. Also, spending ten years of my life playing for the Mexican National Team and not having the “success” I planned, I would like to help grow soccer there as well. At the moment, we have partnered with an already existing club in Tijuana, a group of girls I am familiar with through clinics I have given, and they are already playing games under the Gonzo Soccer name. I give them the training curriculum, the life-skills curriculum, discounts on clinics and coaches’ training, and will be able to provide them uniforms through sponsorships. I would love to one day be able to have academies in several cities, with my own text books and videos, put together through a collaborated effort of my favorite coaches, psychologists and teachers, but that will take time, so for now I’ll just enjoy the process.

AWK: How can people keep up to date with the latest news from Gonzo Soccer, and/or become involved –be it as coaches, academic tutors and other staff, or as donors, and players?
MG: Our website has all the basics. We are actually updating it so that we can have the girls begin to contribute, hopefully on a weekly basis. Anyone who is interested in volunteering, coaching, or tutoring may email me at [email protected]. And of course, donations are always accepted and greatly appreciated and can be made on the following site [https://www.firstgiving.com/gonzosoccer]. Currently, funds will be used to incorporate the non-profit in Mexico and purchase equipment and uniforms for the girls in Tijuana.

Stay connected with Gonzo Soccer
Website: http://www.gonzosoccer.org/
Blog: http://www.gonzosoccer.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GONZO-SOCCER/187940692089
Twitter: @GONZOsoccer

Keep an eye out for part 2 of this interview where Monica tells us more about her experiences as a footballer and life beyond the game.

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

• Filed Under:  
• Soccer, Sports, Inspiration, WPS