COLUMBUS – The Columbus Crew today announced the launch of the Soccer in Schools Program, in partnership with Nationwide and Lower.com. The Crew’s Soccer in Schools Program is focused on providing a turnkey youth soccer model for physical education teachers that aims to prioritize soccer as an in-school physical activity.
The implementation model aligns with curriculum standards and teaches the fundamentals of soccer while integrating activities that empower students to establish life-long healthy habits and create a strong alignment with Stay in the Game! Attendance Network. The Crew first introduced the Soccer in Schools Program on MLS All-Star Community Day at Northgate Intermediate School. The community impact event was part of the festivities during MLS All-Star Week, culminating in the 2024 MLS All-Star Game at Lower.com Field.
“Youth soccer and education are an enormous part of who we are as a Club, and this program perfectly combines those two pillars,” said Josh Glessing, Crew President of Business Operations and Chief of Strategy and Corporate Development of Haslam Sports Group. “Thanks to the support of our community relations team and corporate partners, students throughout the City of Columbus will learn the beautiful game as part of their physical education and continue to reach their full potential.”
“Many aspects of Nationwide’s partnership with the Crew are already aligned with promoting children’s health and wellness so supporting Soccer in Schools is a natural extension for us,” said Ann Bair, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Nationwide. “Congratulations to the Crew for creating this all-inclusive program to engage students with soccer while encouraging healthy habits.”
“At Lower, we believe in investing in the future of our community, and that starts with our kids,” said Dan Snyder, CEO, Lower. “We’re proud to partner with the Columbus Crew and Nationwide on the Soccer in Schools program to bring physical activity, inspiration and opportunity directly into classrooms across Columbus. This initiative perfectly reflects our values and our belief that when students show up and engage, great things happen.”
The curriculum is designed for use and implementation in elementary school physical education classes and in alignment with SHAPE America’s National Physical Education Standards. To ensure inclusiveness, activities will include adaptations to accommodate different skill levels and needs.
The Crew will provide a branded toolkit that includes all necessary equipment from adidas, materials, and training to reduce the financial burden and additional barriers needed to implement a soccer curriculum in schools and inspire students. The curriculum will also include video modules filmed by the Crew. Columbus hosted multiple development and program sessions for physical education teachers led by the Columbus Crew Soccer Operations Team. Teachers reviewed program materials to understand how to implement the curriculum in their schools.
The Black & Gold are dedicated to improving access and outcomes for Central Ohio youth through youth soccer initiatives. The Club aims to create lifelong Crew fans through soccer facility development, mini-pitch installation, school activations, attendance awareness campaigns, soccer camps and clinics, equipment donations, player appearances, match tickets and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
The Stay in the Game! Attendance Network’s mission is focused on promoting school attendance and student engagement with its partner districts in the state. As of July 1, SITG! has partnered with Columbus-based Battelle to serve as its fiscal agent and point of contact, coordinating and facilitating activities and initiatives with partner school district sports teams. SITG! has grown from 13 districts at its start during the 2019-2020 school year to now 161 districts and more than 494,000 students across Ohio for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Through the Stay in the Game! initiative, the Columbus Crew reach over 158,000 students annually across 36 school districts in Central Ohio. Chronic absenteeism decreased by 7% from the 2022-23 school year to the 2023-24 school year across Crew school districts, outperforming the state average of 3.4%. Notably, districts in the network have seen a year-over-year decrease in chronic absenteeism of up to 10.3%, highlighting the program's significant positive impact. To learn more visit, visit StayinTheGame.org.
