Grassroot Soccer (GRS) is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

and adolescent health organization.

History

Grassroot Soccer became a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization in 2002. Founder Tommy Clark conceived of the idea after playing soccer professionally in Zimbabwe where he witnessed both the devastation of HIV and the fanatical popularity of soccer. Together with a group of friends who had similar experiences, he and co-founders Methembe Ndlovu,

Ethan Zohn Ethan Zohn (born November 12, 1973) is an American motivational speaker, former professional soccer player, and reality television series contestant who won '' Survivor: Africa'', the third season of the reality TV series '' Survivor''. He went ...

, and Kirk Friedrich created Grassroot Soccer. The core group traveled to Zimbabwe in 2002 and with the support of advisory board member, Albert Bandura, consultants and local stakeholders, developed and piloted an interactive soccer-themed HIV prevention curriculum that was first implemented in Zimbabwe in 2003.

Activities

Grassroot Soccer has partnered with corporations and organizations such as the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...

(USAID), the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

Elton John AIDS Foundation The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is a nonprofit organization, established by rock musician Sir Elton John in 1992 in the United States and 1993 in the United Kingdom to support innovative HIV prevention, education programs, direct care a ...

, Nike, and many others. When the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced its 20 Football for Hope Centers, it chose Grassroot Soccer to run the first one, located in Khayelitsha, South Africa, a suburb of Cape Town. On July 13, 2010, Grassroot Soccer announced a partnership with

Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 sea ...

in their initiative Get Active! which aims to fight childhood obesity throughout the country.

Effectiveness

Studies by Stanford University's Children's Health Council, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Cape Town, as well as others, suggest that the GRS curriculum is very effective. A study on GRS published in the ''British Journal of Sports Medicine'' concluded, among other things, that "over 90% of the children provided positive attitude responses to the health-education programme".Fuller, Colin W.; Junge, Astrid; Decelles, Jeff; Donald, James; Jankelowitz, Ryan; Dvorak, Jiri, "'Football for Health' - a football-based health-promotion programme for children in South Africa: a parallel cohort study",
British Journal of Sports Medicine
, August 29, 2010

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States International medical and health organizations 2002 establishments in the United States 501(c)(3) organizations