Community advancement through soccer – That’s the ethos of Kensington Soccer Club (KSC, Philadelphia, PA). Kensington SC includes a men’s team, a women’s team, and a youth program. On the surface, a club with these three tiers might not seem all that special in the American soccer landscape, but what sets KSC apart is their financial approach – they run a “pay what you can” model in a soccer landscape that generally tends towards “pay to play”. KSC strives to be a true community club as they believe that soccer is for all, regardless of a family’s income or ability to pay.

Recently, Brianna Banks, who plays for the KSC women’s team, helped create a program called KSP Prep. The aim of the program is to provide educational enrichment and professional opportunities for high school students. KSP Prep is held three days a week after school, and on Friday nights they offer young adults the opportunity to play pick up soccer. While the program seeks to prepare young people for their next steps in life, one side effect was that it also helped prepare two of the coaches for professional soccer.

Photos Courtesy of KSC’s Instagram Account

Brianna and KSC teammate Ayanna Smith recently tried out for Club Atlético Trujillo, a professional women’s soccer team in Peru, and made the team. They will move to Peru for the season and are the first US women to play professional soccer in Peru. In addition to providing training, knowledge, and skill development to the youth of KSC, coaching helped Brianna and Ayanna improve their own individual games and further develop their skills as well. It was a “practice what you preach” mindset that helped them in tryouts with Club Atlético Trujillo.

Just as Brianna and Ayanna get set to move to Peru to play professionally, the KSC women’s team will also be making a step up in competition this year. KSC previously played in the Tri-County Women’s Soccer League, a highly competitive league in Philadelphia and the surrounding region. However, this year, KSC will be playing in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) and taking on new challenges.

Brianna and Ayanna are an inspiration both on and off the field. They used what they learned while playing and coaching at KSC as a pathway for them to eventually play professionally. Not only do they shine on the field, they inspire the next generation of soccer players who may one day follow in their footsteps to play professionally around the world.

by Tim Lutz