March 27, 2017 We have a fundraiser planned for April 30th at 3:00 PM to prepare gear. Scorpion 00 Boys Team/Thrash 04 Girls Team/Women’s UNM Lobo Team will be helping. The Gift of Soccer Foundation is proud to have partnered with Hope Christian School to support their Outreach program to Ecuador this May. Hope Christian has been supporting outreach Missions to Ecuador for many years. Chaperones along with students travel to the jungles of Ecuador and provide much needed support and materials to change the lives of many families. Recently the efforts have been focused on partnering with an Ecuadorian Non-Profit Group, Feecuador Elohim. One place that this wonderful organization supports is a feeding center. This center supports around 15 communities from a centralized location providing much needed nutritional support and medical and dental services to the area. For more information contact the Lead Sponsor: Janira Tucker | abq_tucker@q.com | 385-1478
July 21, 2015 The Gift of Soccer sent Jerseys and Soccer Equipment to a small village in Zimbabwe. We also sent a few ultra-durable One World Futbols that never need a pump and never goes flat. The ball can withstand the toughest environments in the world and last for years without maintenance. Armond Giannini and his son were traveling in that part of the world and graciously packed jerseys donated from Rio Rapids SC and Rio Northern SC organizations.
June 8, 2015 The Gift of Soccer Foundation Board Members had the privilege of taking a 2.5 hour private tour of the home of Chelsea FC, Stamford Bridge. So soon after winning the Premiere League, it was extremely informative and full of great stories by the staff. Got to see where all the players sign their contracts, where Mourinho hangs out, how the champagne corks from the Player of the Match award bottle dents the wall, see the private nightclub that is attached to the stadium, and many other wonderful tidbits. First class operation and such a friendly staff!
June 3, 2015 The Gift of Soccer Foundation Board had some wonderful opportunities to experience soccer on European soil. The passion, the excitement, the family sense of community was unmistakeable. In Naples, we experienced kids playing with makeshift goals on concrete under the watch of Mount Vesuvius. Everywhere you go, in alleys, on streets, in parks, and in traffic, kids just play without fear and with much passion! In Florence we were privileged to watch the UEFA Championship on the streets under the Domo. Funny thing, we thought that the Italians would embrace the Juventus squad having some of the National Players on the team like Pirlo and Buffon, but soon found out it did not matter! If you are not for ACF Fiorentina, you are the enemy. They still embraced the play and wanted Barcelona to lose, but too many weapons there! A bit different and hard to replicate in American Sports. In Pisa, the pace was slower but the influence of the world’s sport was everywhere. Such a beautiful setting to play soccer at any level in Tuscany!
February 8, 2015 The Gift of Soccer Foundation got to chance to help some villages in Central America. The GOS team collected and packaged several large boxes of Soccer Uniforms, balls, cleats, shin guards, socks, and a large collection of training videos and books. The boxes totaled over 150 lbs and were taken by volunteers as extra baggage on their flights to Belize. The Alisia’s Kids organization worked with the local villages to outfit the kids with the soccer clothes and equipment for their local games.
March 5, 2014 The Gift of Soccer Foundation Founder, Ken Levandoski, got the chance to put to use his D-License training and Assistant Coach the Traveling and Competitive Rio Rapids SC Scorpions Boy’s team for a few years.
November 10, 2013 The Gift of Soccer Foundation Founder, Ken Levandoski, successfully completed his 40-hour D-License training and received his D-License for coaching. The focus of this course is to improve a coach’s ability to positively influence individual players and teams. What are the key components of the “D” license course? Develop the core coaching competencies necessary to effectively teach the 13-14 year old athlete and team. Understand the characteristics and needs of an athlete in the Intermediate Stage of U.S. Soccer’s Athlete Development Model. Build on the foundation of knowledge and experience in order to proceed through the sequence of coaching development courses. What are the specific target outcomes of the course? Teach the Principles of Play in a training environment. (7v7 to 9v9). Apply the Principles of Play to functional group roles in a full team system. Plan a sequence of training and weekly cycles to complete a season plan.
September 24, 2013 The Gift of Soccer was pleased to donate dozens of cleats to support the Notah Begay Foundation located on the Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico. Shannon Adragna, the Soccer Program Manager said the cleats are a welcome addition to the other equipment and really helps to keeps kids engaged and coming back to participate in the programs.
September 20, 2013 The Gift of Soccer staff visited Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk in Poland. Experienced the National Team Warsaw Stadium and the street entertainers juggling.
May 15, 2013 The Gift of Soccer Foundation got the chance to send equipment donations to Melamchi, Central Region, Nepal. Deepak Rai and his family were born and raised in this region.Deepak told me stories of growing up and soccer being the one true passion in the children’s lives. The children would wake up before the centralized school started and they would use food (chicken once a week, fruits twice a week!) as bets and play soccer for the bounty! He tells of waking up at 4 AM and breaking a window to get a glimpse of World Cup Soccer playing on the janitors TV. So fortunate to be able to get quality soccer equipment to enhance the lives of the kids in this remote village!
March 4, 2013 The Gift of Soccer has partnered with Northern Soccer Club located in to support marketing, communications, and community outreach efforts. Northern SC is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and supports youth and adult soccer fielding boys and girls teams serving soccer players of ALL ages and skill levels in Northern New Mexico. Northern SC teams participates in the Northern New Mexico Soccer League and for select teams, the Duke City Soccer League which are both members of the New Mexico Youth Soccer Association. For youth teams, our work is to create a positive soccer experience for kids 4-18 years of age of ALL soccer abilities in Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Eldorado and the surrounding area. For competitive teams, Northern SC offers a traveling competitive program. The Gift of Soccer is proud to help the organization continue it’s mission and grow as a strong community resource.
September 21, 2012 The Active Youth Network Announces a Partnership with Non-Profit Foundation, The Gift of Soccer. The Active Youth Network (AYN) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the New Mexico based non-profit foundation, The Gift of Soccer. Created to provide a support system for soccer clubs and organizations in the U.S., The Gift of Soccer collects and distributes gently used equipment, provides monetary donations and expertise on strategic organization and management. The Foundation’s goals simply stated: Help can come in the form of fiscal donations, organizational structuring, marketing, strategic planning, and sometimes just simple praise on what is being done well. The programs and consulting that TGOS provides, help make these organizations become better and more efficient at what they do. The better they perform, the better the US soccer infrastructure becomes, and ultimately the kids and community benefit in a positive manner. “As soon as Ken Levandoski, Director of The Gift of Soccer described his organization, I knew it complemented the mission of the Active Youth Network,” said AYN’s President and CEO Nick Cavarra, “we are both in the business of supporting youth sports”.
September 1, 2012 The Gift of Soccer Foundation Founder, Ken Levandoski, got the chance to put to use his E-License training and Head Coach the Rio Soccer Club’s Cobras and Pumas Boy’s team for several years.
June 25, 2012 The Gift of Soccer has partnered with Rio Soccer Club to support marketing, communications, and community outreach efforts. Rio SC is one of New Mexico’s premier youth soccer club fielding boys and girls teams from U7 through U19. Rio SC teams participates in the Duke City Soccer League and North West Rio Grande Soccer League which are both members of the New Mexico Youth Soccer Association. For younger children, Rio offers an outstanding developmental program. The Gift of Soccer is proud to help this great organization continue it’s mission and grow as a strong community resource. Of note, every year Rio SC makes available over $40,000 of local scholarship programs towards club services to many families that would otherwise not be available to afford such quality training. To learn more about Rio SC, visit their website at: http://www.riorapids.org
October 28, 2011 The Gift of Soccer staff visited Las Vegas, Nevada for a highly competitive national Youth Soccer Tournament. We experienced the various facilities and organizational processes involved in running and hosting a successful youth tournament.
August 21, 2011 The Gift of Soccer Foundation Founder, Ken Levandoski, successfully completed his 40-hour E-Certificate training and received his E-Certificate for coaching. The National “E” license is an 18-hour course, which covers the elementary principles of coaching and prepares interested coaches for the “D” license course. What are the key components of the “E” license course? Develop the core coaching competencies necessary to effectively teach the 9-12 year old athlete and team. Understand the characteristics and needs of an athlete in the Basic Stage of U.S. Soccer’s Long Term Athlete Development Model. Establish a foundation of knowledge and experience in order to proceed through the sequence of coaching development courses. What are the specific target outcomes of the course? Understand and effectively apply the principles of Long Term Athlete Development. Demonstrate competency in planning an age-appropriate training session. Demonstrate the essential competencies to execute a team training session that is focused on a technical function of the game. Understand concepts and recognize the principles of attacking and defending in a small-sided game environment (3v3 to 9v9 adaptable to local competition structure).
August 9, 2011 The Gift of Soccer Foundation is a BRAND and a COMMUNITY supporting the play of the game and the culture surrounding it. We provide resources and guidance to expand access and passion to all players worldwide. The Gift of Soccer Foundation was started as a support system for the existing soccer clubs and organizations locally and around the country. Many organizations do wonderful things and work very hard at it, but sometimes they need assistance to continue growth and execute at their best. Help can come in the form of fiscal donations, organizational structuring, marketing, strategic planning, and sometimes just simple gratitude for the efforts they are doing. The donations, programs, and consulting we provide, helps organizations become stronger and more efficient at what they do. The better they perform, the better the soccer infrastructure becomes, and ultimately the children and all of the community benefits.
February 13, 2011 The Gift of Soccer Foundation Founder, Ken Levandoski, successfully completed his his formal concussion training course. Extremely important to help keep the kids safe and cared for in the proper manner.
September 10, 2010 Coached AYSO teams, and then teams in the Rio Vista Soccer Club. As we continued to coach and work with teams and the different clubs, we saw the discrepancies in what each of the different kids, teams, and organization had access to, in the way of coaching expertise, training, gear & clothing, opportunities, and overall support. We decided it was time to give back and help make more of the resources available to all kids!
Preparing Gear for GOS/Hope Christian School Fundraiser
Donations – Zimbabwe, Africa
GOS Visit Stamford Bridge
GOS Visits Italy
Donations – Belize
Coaching U13-U14 Boys
GOS – D License
Donations – Santa Ana Pueblo
GOS Visits Poland
Donations – Melamchi, Nepal
GOS & Northern Soccer Club
GOS & Active Youth Network
Coaching U11-U12 Boys
GOS & Rio Soccer Club
GOS at Las Vegas Tournament
GOS – E-License
Non-Profit Incorporation
GOS Concussion Training
Coaching U6-U10 Teams