There’s a new youth soccer league in California, thanks to the efforts of Bishop Richard Garcia. Some 70 kids participate in the local team, based at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Santa Cruz. The team was created to help keep kids off the street and away from gangs. Other teams already exist in Monterey and San Benito counties, and Bishop Garcia hopes to soon add San Luis Obispo to the roster.
“We want kids to feel connected to a community where they gain recognition and develop a sense of self-importance and belonging,” says Holy Cross parishioner Barbara Meister, who is involved with the local team.
The league already has the support of the Sheriff’s Activity League, the Live Oak Family Resource Center and the Live Oak School District. Those entities have provided sponsorship and loaned the team goalposts and soccer jerseys. The teams now meets on Sunday after mass, but plans are in the works to meet twice a week in the coming year. Read more at Santa Cruz Sentinel and Fox 35.
