Oakland Roots Sports Club today announced the launch of the first regional training hub for the ‘Switch the Pitch’ anti-racist education program. 50 coaches from youth soccer clubs around the Bay Area will participate in a groundbreaking, interactive curriculum designed to help them tackle issues like discrimination, unconscious bias, identity and allyship.
Created by the global, player-led Common Goal initiative and led by soccer and social justice experts Soccer Without Borders, ‘Switch the Pitch’ features insight from current and former professional players from MLS, NWSL and USL who have experienced various forms of discrimination throughout their careers, and combines live and online educational workshops with a gamified ‘league’ where coaches and their teams compete against each other.
“Every child deserves the right to play and feel welcome in the game. Building safe soccer spaces begins with the grassroots so it’s essential that we provide youth coaches with the skills they need,” said Oakland Roots SC Chief Purpose Officer Mike Geddes. “We’re proud to join Common Goal in leading the way in the fight against racism and discrimination in soccer in the United States.”
‘Switch the Pitch’ is designed to teach ‘Inclusive Coaching’ and will cover topics like Empathy, Appreciation, Safety, Vulnerability, Awareness and Authenticity. The ‘Virtual League’ will provide coaches and teams with ‘real world’ scenarios to explore and navigate in a safe setting, helping coaches gain new perspectives and transferable skills.
“I started using the Switch the Pitch curriculum with my team and in just a few months noticed a change in how my players interacted with each other, dealt with adversity and expressed their feelings,” said Matt Fondy, a former Oakland Roots SC player who now runs Oakland Genesis Soccer Club. “What was most exciting to me was watching my players’ curiosity grow. They wanted to know more about the world around them and their place in it.”
“Switch the Pitch is part of a mission that I truly believe can make a difference,” said Spanish national team player and Common Goal Member Adama Traoré. “The project uses anti-racist training to tackle systemic racism across all levels of professional and grassroots soccer, with the ultimate goal of creating more inclusive and diverse environments that celebrate our differences and foster community. If I’ve learned anything in my career, it’s that leading with action instead of empty talk is what really counts in making a difference, on or off the field.”
The first ‘Switch the Pitch’ workshop will take place at Oakland Roots SC’s UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Training Facility on Saturday March 18th.
