A Bear with Claws Deep into the Community
For many readers, the name Bearfight FC won't mean much. But for Wilmington, Delaware, it is starting to resonate deeply. Bearfight FC was formed in 2013. The idea of the club was to be something that both the club and the community would be proud of. In the last few days, they have taken steps that would make every fan proud. This past year, they lost their home field and have recently found a home once again. They are looking to play their home matches at Eden Park in the United Soccer League of PA. This wasn't an easy journey, many denied ideas and limited options did not help. But through the city's park and rec they were able to get a home. But not just a home, they would also be able to reach one of their club's goals, a youth program.
This youth program is a huge deal. Yes, it isn't an academy, yet, but it is proof of a team building ties with the city and community. When speaking to Jeremy (one of the founders), he shared how their vision for the club is to create "a community club. The kind of thing that everyone wants to and is involved in. We aren’t trying to build a structure that separates ‘the club’ from ‘the support’. We want to build the kind of club that blurs and erases those lines. I firmly feel that if you want a club to succeed, let the supporters, the community, have a stake in the club; a big stake. They will protect it. We won’t be ‘a soccer club’ we will be ‘a soccer family’." A community club, that has a ring to it, but it is definitely a huge step for the club.
The youth program will start as a soccer outreach for at-risk youth. It is a partnership with the city's park and rec, through them the program will be managed and run by the players of Bearfight FC. The goal of this is to establish a club will be called Wilmington Community Soccer Club - to maintain a relationship with the parks and rec to keep the program free and accessible to everyone, aka do soccer the right way.
The program will run its own in-house league to have players start to learn and develop the foundation of soccer. They will be looking to explore other city and state options as the program grows but the first thing is to instill the love and joy of soccer to the youth in the city. The vision is to have the youth look up to the players in the senior team and the senior team share their love for the game to the youth, creating a family. Jeremy stated "Our goal is to build a community club that is a pipeline, both in sports and academics, from youth to college, or from youth to a career in soccer." This is what soccer is all about, a team building ties with the community to help the future of their city. They plan to start by helping out their "Ositos" (bear cub in Spanish).
The team is looking to start growing, not just in soccer, but in the way we see some of these other big clubs do. They are creating a relationship with the city their represent. This is what all soccer fans love to see, a team giving back and the community responding with love and support for the team. I am looking forward to what will become of the club. Jeremy shared a few final words, “Eric, Justin, and I set up, in 2013 with a motto, ‘Loyalty. Inclusion. Family. Pride.’, a DIY ideal, and a belief in the city of Wilmington, Delaware. We are proud of this next step in our growth in the community. We love our city. We hope the city embraces us like we embrace this city.”
-Geovanny Monterroso
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