Making youth soccer programming more accessible to Portland’s diverse communities

Dr. Emily Lesher is many things. She’s an associate professor here at Saint Joe’s, an award-winning environmental geochemist, and now, she is the Outreach and Scholarships Director for the Portland Area Youth Soccer Association, where she also serves as a Board member. After six years of coaching youth soccer teams, Emily Lesher has stepped into this position with one goal in mind: make youth soccer programming more accessible to Portland’s diverse communities.

“There’s a whole segment of kids in Portland who aren’t involved with youth sports, and that’s mostly because of language barriers and the cost of the sport(s). The language barrier issue is relatively easy to overcome thanks to volunteers who speak Spanish and text message based translation services. We’re also streamlining the registration process. We recognize that registration materials can be confusing and a laborious task for someone who speaks English primarily. By making registration materials accessible and easy to comprehend, we hope that participation will increase among immigrant communities.”

Before filling this new role, Emily dedicated her personal time to coaching, despite not being an avid soccer player herself. “I learned a lot about the game and how to coach it just from watching YouTube videos! I played soccer only through middle school then switched to other sports. But I have really come to love it through coaching and playing with the kids. More importantly, I’ve just seen how impactful it is to the kids socially, especially now coming back after nearly two years of more limited social and athletic activity. Practice is the best part of their day. It’s a chance for them to build something together that is all their own and builds toward the goal of improving their skills individually and as a team.”

With firsthand experience coaching, Emily saw the opportunity to take what she’s learned and use that knowledge to help guide her roles as Outreach and Scholarships Director and as a Board member. One example of this is participation within the PAYSA Rec program.

“The PAYSA Rec program is open to all kids in Portland, but the reality is it draws predominantly from only a couple neighborhoods. I am brand new to the Board member position but I am looking to make the programming more accessible to all kids by providing assistance with the scholarship application processes, and getting out into the Portland community and advertising the programming more in neighborhoods that see less participation.”

Once kids learn about the program, are registered, and begin playing, the impact of team sports is unmistakable. “The PAYSA travel teams, particularly for the middle school age groups, really bring together kids from all over the city from so many different backgrounds. Kids make lifelong friendships and have additional supportive adults in their lives. Team sports provide an early lesson that working together and working off the unique strengths that each individual brings to a team, while playing defined roles and trusting your teammates, makes for the most effective way to go after a goal, literal or figurative.”

As it turns out, the kids involved with youth sports are not the only ones feeling a positive impact. “I’ve learned that despite my demanding work and home schedules, giving back to the community gives me more of a sense of balance and it’s so worthwhile to carve out a little time to play with kids – every week it lightens my load a little. And it doesn’t take much to jump into coaching youth sports – there is always a need for more coaches and you don’t have to be an expert to coach younger kids. I’d encourage anyone to get in touch with their local associations and volunteer!”

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