It has been said that, “ If you educate a girl, you empower a nation” ( Queen Rania of Jordan). Beyond just a belief of theory, there is, without a shadow of a doubt, truth to this statement. Girls and women are an integral component to the growth and success of any society or culture. When we educate young women, we empower them to navigate the lives which they want to live rather than the life which may be mapped out for them.

​This education comes in innumerable forms, yet each avenue of exploration can yield profound results. Here, at United Kidz Soccer Development, we have seen this come to life when we use soccer as a tool to teach young women some of the most vital life skills they will ever need. 

​Although many view Cape Cod as a predominantly affluent location, there is a reality in place here which can often go overlooked. This reality is homelessness. Homelessness is defined as an individual or family who is without a permanent dwelling. This can mean that people travel between the  residence of family and friends, between hotels and motels, between shelters, or, for some, in cars or on the streets. Those who are aware of this often asks themselves “What can I do to help”? With this question in mind, the UKSD team set out during these winter months in an effort to help provide answers to that question. As a result of this, we were able to provide crucial and necessary items to those in need.

​As UKSD continues to grow, we have seen and felt the increasing impact we have had on our home of Cape Cod. We have been able to provide year round, free of charge soccer to so many families in our very own community. With free futsal, street, and beach soccer programs, we have been able to positively impact a great portion of our youth.

​Along with free leagues and programs, we have had a successful year with our girl’s soccer academy, as we have worked to create strong technical players who also focus on community service projects and diversity training. In connection to the academy, we have also been able to run many awareness events revolving around increasing education in areas such as homelessness, hunger, and substance abuse. 

Talk about a travel soccer team. You would need an atlas, a passport and a Google map to keep up with members of the Barnstable girls soccer team this off season.
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During the third week of April, several team members vacationed in the Caribbean, but the trek did not consist solely of trips to the beach to lie out in the sun.

With the frigid temperatures plummeting recently and the first snow hitting the Cape last weekend, it’s hard to imagine the peril faced by those less fortunate who are without housing at this time of the year.

Some 35 area high school soccer players recent took part in the Sleepout Soccerthon during the weekend of December 10-11, held at Compass Athletics in Sandwich.

The community of Pointe Michel, more particularly the youth of that village, was recently the recipient of a generous donation of sporting equipment, including jerseys, balls, and boots from UK Sports Development (UKSD).
The Organization, which is affiliated to Professional English Football Club, Millwall FC, has as its motto “Helping the Community through Soccer” and as such encompass a number of programs that target this thrust.

MASHPEE — The goal was a big one and it had nothing to do with kicking a ball into a net. Nobody kept score as 27 high school students on rotating teams played a continuous 10-hour soccer game on a recent weekend overnight. Everyone was a winner.

The scene was surreal, two rickety cardboard villages — one for the boys, the other for the girls — were assembled in the gym as part of the Sleepout Soccerthon last month at Mashpee High School. Funds were raised to help the homeless, but, more importantly, the goal was to change attitudes about homelessness.
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“The idea is to get high school kids involved in the community,” said Lee Docherty, founder of UK Soccer Development, a Cape Cod organization that tries to change the world through soccer.
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If you pass by the Cape Cod Challenger Club this weekend, don’t be surprised by the presence of numerous cardboard boxes. It’s all part of the Sleep Out Soccerthon being held by student athletes and coaches of UK Soccer Development (a.k.a. UKSD).

“Basically we’ve got 38 high school kids and four UKSD coaches and we’re getting cardboard boxes and we’re going to spend the night in cardboard boxes to raise awareness about childhood homelessness,” said Lee Docherty, UKSD founder and CEO, who conceived the event.

During the last few years, UKSD has evolved from what started as a few ideas scribbled on paper to a fully established organization working to better the youth in communities across the world. This work is done through the game of soccer, while also empowering young minds to play an active role in helping those less fortunate than themselves.