“United  Project” – Program director Kristian Powell

The "United Project” is a program ran by Northwest United DOC Kristian Powell for the purpose to serve our community and provide a place for children to be able to participate in soccer practice and games for free. 

The program aims to develop the players soccer skills as well as an opportunity to build and nurture the well-being of children in the community. We aim to also offer mentorship and growth within the lives of the young athletes. Our overall mission is to promote better physical, social and mental health, and transform our community within sport. Create a possible path to continue in soccer.

Alongside the quality soccer training with our professional coach’s we aspire to act as mentors to enhance building character, confidence, learning and more invaluable traits and tools. In essence, we hope it may be a step in the right direction of helping the trajectory of the lives of these young kids coming in and building some meaningful relationships here in the program. So often we see the impact sport can have in placing young kids in environments where they can learn, grow, get inspired and be encouraged which can affect positive change within them and around them. With the current climate in particular, children could well be wrestling with anxiety and instability and it’s important to me we can offer something here at our club for free that can help these social and emotional components that give that needed support and community. 

The program will be a place where they can come learn and integrate with our professional coaches whilst also learn key life skills they can take with them for the rest of their lives helping them as they continue on their journeys. As part of the day’s curriculum we will coach topics that will help them in life and the field. Talking to the kids and engaging them with ways they can better improve. Empowering our youth on the field and off the field will equip them to build a better life for themselves and promote a feeling of being part of something. I feel strongly that giving the kids a solid structure in sport in turn will have a positive affect globally in their lives.

As I have been in the valley I have witnessed personally the disparity in opportunities amongst our kids and perhaps where kids don’t always have the resources to get exposed to opportunities like this. I wanted to really come up with something that could bridge that and provide a path for those boys and girls also to have something they can be a part of outside school. I have wanted to find a way to give back more to the community and use soccer as a vehicle to do this. Give back to the game what it has done for me and to try and start a project where we can impact our kids. I believe that if we can change even one life doing this project for the community then it’s worth it.