Soccer is more than just a sport to Colin Schmidt, the Executive Director of America Scores. It is a platform for positive youth development and a way to connect with the global community. Schmidt believes that by participating in soccer and the program’s accompanying poetry component, young people can improve their physical and social-emotional health, engage more in their academics, and discover their own authentic voice. We had a chance to speak with him last week in an exclusive interview.
SF Times
Thanks again for being interviewed by us. What’s the importance of the World Cup to the local youth soccer community?
Colin Schmidt
The World Cup is a global phenomenon with all sorts of fascinating geopolitical narratives alongside the drama and pageantry of the actual games. It’s a chance for small and large countries, rich and poor, colonizers and colonized to come together. It’s a chance for local youth soccer players to see the grandness of the sport on a global stage and to see how their country stacks up.
It raises questions about why the United States – the biggest country in the event – can’t do better. Countries like Croatia with a mere four million people are advancing to the finals, while we struggle to get past the initial rounds.
SF Times
What is America Scores and how are you different from other youth soccer organizations? Why soccer and poetry?
Colin Schmidt
America Scores is a sports-based youth development program that uses soccer as a platform for physical and social-emotional health outcomes. We’re a school-based program that helps students become more engaged in their learning and perform better academically.
We’re the home of the “poet-athlete”, supporting students by combining soccer’s physical health and teamwork benefits with poetry’s emphasis on individual voice and self-expression. Together, they promote happiness and well-being alongside academic achievement.
SF Times
As the executive director of America Scores for 21 years, what is your main goal in today’s world?
Colin Schmidt
Our main goal is to deliver impactful programs to children who don’t have access to them and to do so sustainably, by scaling our services without causing a start-stop effect. We want to show up season after season and stay connected with the youth we serve. Success comes from partnerships and collaboration with public schools, government agencies, cities, other nonprofits, and service providers. It also comes by empowering coaches and staff to deliver high-quality programs and by consciously creating a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
SF Times
Got it. And what drives that success?
Colin Schmidt
To be impactful and scale our services, it’s primarily partnerships and collaboration. We work within public schools and public school districts in an ecosystem of agencies, government agencies, cities, other nonprofits, and service providers. We have to be a team-oriented organization, leveraging everything, including facilities, resources, and people. It requires deep partnerships and deep collaboration to succeed.
SF Times
What are your thoughts about the World Cup coming to San Francisco in 2026?
Colin Schmidt
It’s an amazing opportunity to leverage the excitement and passion that exists for soccer around the globe. As the World Cup comes to our doorstep, it raises awareness, inspiring new audiences, kids, and partners. Companies get involved and philanthropy is supercharged. It’s a game-changer. When the World Cup came to the US in 1994, it created excitement and passion for the game and fueled funding that became an engine for America Scores and other soccer programs. We anticipate a new wave of enthusiasm, passion, and support in 2026, spreading the game to more zip codes and helping kids be healthy, connected, and engaged students.
SF Times
How can individuals or businesses get involved with America Scores?
Colin Schmidt
Individuals can get involved in many ways, such as volunteering on the field, in the classroom, at events, or at the board level. They can connect us to corporate giving through their work or through philanthropy. Companies can get involved through their community impact or corporate social responsibility departments.
We put on a fun annual corporate soccer tournament and offer volunteer field days, where employees can work with students and talk about their careers and industries.
SF Times
Thank you. Any final things you’d like to mention?
Colin Schmidt
Yes, I want to stress the need for accessibility in youth sports in America. Youth sports — and soccer in particular — have a class problem. Soccer in this country primarily operates through a pay-to-play system that favors middle and upper-income families.
This creates a divide between the haves and have-nots in terms of who is participating in sports. In other countries, like Norway, 93% of youth participate in sports. Compare that to Oakland, where less than 20% of youth play organized sports. Sports have become privatized and exclusive.
America Scores tries to lower those barriers by making soccer free and accessible in school yards and lower-income, public school communities where there are few or no organized sports. These are sports deserts, and we’re turning them around. We bring the game to the kids so they can access the benefits of sports and experience the kinds of positive connections with coaches and teams that can have a lifetime of impact.
SF Times
Thank you for speaking with us.
America Scores is a sports-based youth development program that aims to deliver impactful, sustainable programming to children who might not have access to such opportunities otherwise. The organization focuses on partnerships and collaboration to reach more youth, especially those in public schools and districts. Learn more at their website, americascoresbayarea.org.
