New Years Resolutions from YAC

Happy New Year from YAC!

To close out 2022 and look forward to 2023, we first of all are celebrating our accomplishments in YAC's inaugural year! We championed inclusivity and joy in soccer by hosting workshops on mental health and how to support teammates and friends who are undocumented or DACA recipients! Ellie, one of our leaders, spoke on two panels for US Youth Soccer honoring LGBTQ+ players and coaches during Pride month! We created space to talk about disability and indigenous history in soccer! We are thankful for SFYS's commitment to making sure that we get to explore and advocate for ways to make soccer more equitable and fun.

2023 will bring challenges, but we are looking forward to using them to strengthen our game, and ourselves. Some of our goals for 2023 will be:

• Launching the Youth Ref Initiative in January, led by experienced youth ref and YAC Leader Roisin!
• Thinking about creative ways to encourage sustainablilty in soccer, both in San Francisco and all over the world!
• HIghlighting some of the amazing women and non-binary players who have pushed soccer to new heights (in March, and of course during the Women's World Cup this summer)!
• Growing our partnerships with community organizations, such as Cal North TOPSoccer, so we can learn about and participate in different ways to support equity in the game!
• Establishing a YAC Alumni Group to help YAC Leaders to not only use their experience to continue to advocate for inculsive soccer in SFYS, but also provide connections for Alumni Leaders in the game of soccer, beyond SFYS! 
• Continuing to provide space for diverse players and conversations that help us better understand racial, gender, class, and disability access and equity in soccer! 

When all of our voices our heard, our game grows! We will be accepting new Leaders soon!

We are so excited for what's to come and all of the support SFYS YAC has received this year. Cheers!