STCP Football Registration Kick-off by Nathanael Koehler

As you may have seen in past newsletters, Serve the City Paris launched its Sport and Culture Project in March of this year, providing weekly football matches to beneficiaries, volunteers and local community members alike. The project quickly became a staple in the lives of unaccompanied minors living in Paris, at times with over 30 players in attendance. Our project leaders often heard the same request from these young men: “It is our dream to play on a competitive team? Can we become a member of your team?”. For months, the answer was sadly “No, as we do not have a team”. However, those questions sparked a fire which soon began blazing. 

Over the summer, the Sport and Culture leadership team met with fellow sport associations serving young minors and directors of the Parisian Football league FSGT. They continued to hold trainings for the young men, conduct weekly leadership meetings, and secure financial and STCP leadership support to formally launch a team beginning this Fall. 

On September 14th, 22 of our regular players showed up to our ‘STCP Football Registration Kick-off’ where they officially committed to join the team. In the weeks that followed, the leadership team was able to purchase the uniforms, shoes, and league registrations to have the STCP Football team, named “Les Gars de la Ville” (aka The City Boys), compete in their first ever match on September 25th. 

The dedication, enthusiasm, and positivity of these young men is truly inspiring. Despite the challenges they face, they always show up each week, smiling and ready to give their all. It’s a powerful reminder of how important sport is, not just for staying active, but for creating joy and a sense of community. We are proud to say what started as a small project has blossomed into the impact-driven program we have today. 

We would like to leave you with a quote from Youssouf Diabate, the man of the match from October 2nd’s match, on what being a part of the team means to him. Please follow the team’s journey on our STCP Instagram and contact us at sports@servethecity.paris regarding opportunities to get involved by sponsoring one of the boys this season!