Client Spotlight: Beyond Soccer

This summer, the world’s attention is turning toward soccer as the World Cup arrives in North America, with nearby Boston serving as one of the host cities. While the tournament itself will capture headlines, it has also created an unexpected and remarkable opportunity for one of our clients in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Just last week, Beyond Soccer, an organization we have had the privilege of working alongside for the past three years, was named a recipient of a FIFA Global Citizen grant in support of its Academic Overtime initiative. Out of more than 3,100 applicants worldwide, Beyond Soccer was selected as one of just 27 organizations globally to receive grant funding.

The award itself is of course significant, but from our vantage point, what has made this moment especially unique is everything surrounding it. Through FIFA and Global Citizen’s media relationships, storytelling campaigns, and international platform, Beyond Soccer’s work is reaching audiences far beyond Lawrence. For a small organization without a formal communications or marketing team, this kind of visibility is exceptionally rare. The recognition has not only elevated the organization itself, but also the stories, strengths, and potential of the Lawrence youth and families who have always been at the center of the work.

And that work has never been simply about soccer. Fifteen years ago, founder and Executive Director Stephanie McArdle and her mother Ellen saw a glaring inequity: despite Lawrence’s deep love for soccer and a high school population of more than 3,000 students, girls in the city had virtually no opportunities to participate in the sport. What began as an effort to address that has steadily evolved into one of Lawrence’s most trusted youth development organizations, now serving more than 1,500 youth annually and more than 8,500 over the course of its history.

Today, Beyond Soccer uses soccer as the entry point into a much broader ecosystem of support. Young people gain access to mentorship, bilingual tutoring and college support, wellness and nutrition programming in the organization’s teaching kitchen, and youth employment opportunities that help teens build leadership and workplace skills. At its core, the organization is creating spaces where young people feel seen, supported, challenged, and connected to opportunity.

Over the years, Beyond Soccer has truly built its reputation through authenticity, consistency, and an unwavering commitment to community. That commitment is reflected not only in the organization’s direct work with young people, but also in its broader approach to collaboration and community impact. Rather than operating in isolation, Beyond Soccer has consistently prioritized partnership over competition, including co-founding the Lawrence Sports Alliance alongside Everyone’s A Player to help address the city’s longstanding sports and health inequities. The organization’s growth and impact have also been sustained by a wide network of people who believed in the mission long before this international recognition arrived, including dedicated volunteers, engaged alumni, committed board members, supportive families, and funders who continued to invest in the work year after year.

In many ways, this client reflection feels like a reminder of what becomes possible when people commit to showing up for a community year after year. Meaningful impact rarely happens overnight. More often, it is built slowly, through trust, persistence, and the quiet work that continues long before anyone else is paying attention.