Raiders Support El Salvador Youth Soccer - SPRING UPDATE!

St Pete Raiders Supports Youth Soccer in El Salvador

2023 SPRING UPDATE

St. Pete Raiders have been helping youth soccer communities in El Salvador for the past few years. This last Spring, Coach Pablo and Coach Mason traveled to Suchitoto, El Salvador, bringing all the equipment donated by our own Raiders community and leading a mini soccer camp. “It was a great experience running the sessions and just thinking about how much help these communities need,” Coach Mason said after his first visit to El Salvador.

St. Pete Raiders is proud of this collective effort, and we will continue to partner with soccer organizations in El Salvador in the year ahead -. The initiative will continue with the active involvement of our Academy Director, Pablo Salamanca, who has deep ties with El Salvador and has made a personal commitment to making sure as many players in need get some support through our club!

SPRING UPDATE & UPCOMING HOLIDAY PLANS!

As we approach the Holiday season, we wanted to take a moment to share an update on St Pete’s continued efforts in support of youth soccer in El Salvador. As some of you may know, Coach Pablo traveled back to his home country in late spring, and on this occasion, he spearheaded a 3-day soccer camp for over 100 players, most of whom had never before experienced an organized camp. The three days were a fun opportunity for youth at a variety of age levels to receive some enhanced skills training, and for local coaches to receive some enhancements to support the delivery of their local programs.

With the help of our amazing soccer community, St. Pete’s Raiders was able to collect uniforms and all the soccer equipment needed for the 3-day camp. The response to the camp was overwhelming, for players and coaches alike.

“It was a beautiful experience, it was my first time running a camp out of the country and it was amazing to see how the campers responded to and benefited from the 3-day camp. Receiving a brand new jersey was a treat for each player, and having all the equipment needed to provide a great soccer experience was a huge bonus ” Coach Pablo shared after his trip.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, and with Christmas not far behind, Coach Pablo will again be collecting new/used regular soccer gear to take back to El Salvador this coming December 2022.

What is needed?

New or gently used regular shoes/cleats, regular outfits or any athletic gear. In particular, tennis shoes and t-shirts/shorts for kids age 3 – 12 years old.

Where can I drop off equipment?

We will set up a drop box at the clubhouse accessible during normal training hours (5:00 – 9:00pm). We will be making our final collection the first week of December. Feel free to also contact Coach Pablo at (240)398-0828 or pabsalamanca@gmail.com to arrange for pick-up of items.

Opportunities for community sponsorship:

Cash Donations:

Can I donate cash? Yes – cash donations will help off-set any cargo fees associated with shipping the gear to El Salvador.

Venmo: @CoachPabloRaiders

Paypal: Pabsalamanca@gmail.com

Feel free to reach out to Coach Pablo if you have any questions.:240-398-0828 or Pabsalamanca@gmail.com

WINTER UPDATE!

St. Pete Raiders would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who collected and donated equipment throughout November and December, as part of our ongoing initiative in support of youth soccer in El Salvador. Thank you as well to those who contributed financially, your donations helped us reach our goal, and to get the gear where it needed to go. A special shout-out to our U14 boys competitive team for collecting and donating 20+ pairs of cleats - each pair is now being put to good use.

With the generous support of the Raiders’s community, our club was able to support two different soccer organizations in El Salvador: Playa El Zonte, a club from La Libertad, and the Papo Castro Borja Academy, based in San Salvador. Both organizations received soccer equipment, cleats and assorted gear, all of which will assist them in building up their respective programs, and in reaching as many young players as possible.

St. Pete Raiders is proud of this collective effort, and we will continue to partner with soccer organizations in El Salvador in the year ahead - this will hopefully include more grass-roots community clubs, as well as clubs making efforts to operate at a more competitive level. The initiative will continue with the active involvement of our Academy Director, Pablo Salamanca, who has deep ties with El Salvador and has made a personal commitment to making sure as many players in need get some support through our club. The dedication shown for this project - and the willingness to step up and help those in need - is a testament to the core values of the St Pete Raiders soccer club, and we are beyond grateful for our amazing community!

Next project will take place in April where St. Pete Raiders will be hosting a free camp in El Salvador.

THANKSGIVING EDITION

The approaching Holiday is a big one for many of us here in the St Petersburg community - family, friends, a little turkey, and of course soccer, always soccer! Thanksgiving is also a time when we are reminded of the things we are truly grateful for - our health, our families, and our amazing soccer community. It’s a time when we look to support others, and for us, giving the gift of soccer to as many children as possible is always top of mind. In that regard, we are working to build on the international initiative we launched back in May, which saw our Club provide much needed soccer gear to kids and coaches in La Libertad, El Salvador. Coach Pablo, our Academy Director who spear-headed the initiative back in the spring, has continued to collect and ship gear to youth clubs in El Salvador, and is now working to support a couple of local youth clubs in San Salvador & La Libertad. Both clubs are home to a passionate group of coaches and players who need just a little help to grow their organizations. Coach Pablo will be travelling to El Salvador over the Thanksgiving & Christmas breaks, and as he did in May, will personally deliver all items to the teams and run some sessions with coaches and players.

Coach Pablo has done an amazing job of representing St Pete Raiders abroad, and many in our community have expressed a continued interest in supporting this international initiative. Please read below for details on how you can help. Happy Thanksgiving!

What is needed?

New or gently used cleats, soccer outfits and athletic gear. In particular, cleats in the following youth sizes: 5, 6, 7 and all the way up to 11 men’s size. As noted, we are also hoping we can provide these clubs some soccer equipment, such as: cones, vests, GK gloves and speed & agility equipment.

Where can I drop off equipment?

Opportunities for community sponsorship:

Can I donate cash? Yes – cash donations will help off-set any cargo fees associated with shipping the gear to El Salvador.

Venmo: @CoachPabloRaiders

Paypal: Pabsalamanca@gmail.com

Feel free to reach out to him if you have any questions. 240-398-0828 or Pabsalamanca@gmail.com

JUNE 2021 POST-TRIP

There was truly no better way to end the St. Pete Raiders 2020-2021 soccer season: with the support of our community members our Club was able to provide significant support to the youth soccer community in Playa El Zonte, La Libertad, El Salvador. Together with SCORE Sports, who generously donated 20 full game uniforms and 20 soccer balls our St. Pete Raiders families rose to the challenge donating new and used cleats, goalie gloves, and speed ladders, along with soccer vests and cones. Families, friends and members of our extended community also made important financial donations, which was critical to ensuring that all the equipment reached its final destination.

Coach Pablo, our Academy Director flew to El Salvador in late May, to personally deliver all of the amazing gear that was collected prior the trip. As many of you know, Coach Pablo originally hails from El Salvador and has seen first-hand the need that exists when it comes to youth soccer. Coach Pablo commented after his return, “It was an amazing experience to see those happy faces on the kids as they received their kits, it's safe to say that for the most part, these players typically don’t have a ball, a pair of shoes or uniforms to practice the sport that they love the most. It was my honor to represent the St. Pete Raiders soccer club and bring some happiness to a soccer community in need”. During his visit coach Pablo also had the opportunity to run a training session with the club, where he was able to interact with coaches, players and families. As an added treat, Coach Pablo hosted the team at a local restaurant for a fun after-session lunch. The coaches, kids and their families were truly grateful for the support shown by the St Pete’s Raiders, and asked that a big thank-you be shared with everyone back in Florida.

We are hopeful that as a club, this will be the first of many times we come together to support youth soccer, whether it is a local or international youth soccer club in need of a helping hand. We are proud to have created a relationship between the Playa EL Zonte Soccer Club and St. Pete Raiders, and look forward to building on this initial project, to ensure that these kids continue to receive the simple supports they need to thrive in the game we all love.

Lastly, we would like to extend our sincere thank you to everyone who stepped up and supported this project - you made this initiative a huge success and we look forward to working together on future youth soccer projects.

MAY 2021 PRE-TRIP

St Pete Raiders is pleased to announce a new initiative in support of community youth soccer in
La Libertad, El Salvador. Spearheaded by our Academy Director Pablo Salamanca, St Pete
Raiders will partner with the Playa El Zonte boys soccer team, with one simple goal in mind:
help kids and coaches in La Libertad foster their love of Futbol by providing the basic equipment
they need to get out and play the game. Coach Salamanca, who originally hails from El
Salvador, travels regularly to the region, and sees first-hand the ongoing need among soccer
clubs at the community level. He maintains strong ties with many Salvadoran youth coaches
working to build programming in the area, and is keen to support community programs wherever
possible. St Pete Raiders is proud to promote this initiative and we hope to see many in the Raiders families join in supporting our efforts.

What's needed:

SCORE Sports has generously donated 20 full game uniforms for the team to use for game play but we will be working to collect additional new or gently used cleats, shorts and jerseys, socks and shin guards, in addition to cones and soccer vests. In particular, we are looking for items to complete kits for 15 players (boys, ages 6-12) and two coaches. We are aiming to provide 10 Youth Medium uniforms, 5 Youth Large and 2 extra Adult Small, and cleats in the following youth sizes: 5, 6, 7 and 8. We are also hoping we can provide the team some soccer equipment, such as: cones, vests, GK gloves and speed & agility equipment.

Where can I drop off equipment?

We will set up a drop box at the clubhouse accessible during normal training hours (5:00 – 9:00pm). We will be making our final collection the week of tryouts (May 3rd – May 6th)

Feel free to also contact Coach Pablo at (240)398-0828 or psalamancadoc@gmail.com to arrange for pick-up of items.

Opportunities for community sponsorship:

If you are a local business owner and are interested in the possibility of partnering with St Pete Raiders soccer club on this initiative, please contact Coach Pablo at (240)398-0828 or pabsalamanca@gmail.com.
Can I donate cash? Yes - cash donations will ensure our club is able to provide complete,
properly sized uniform kits and cleats to all players. Donations will also help off-set any cargo fees associated with shipping the gear to El Salvador.

Venmo: @CoachPabloRaiders
Paypal: Pabsalamanca@gmail.com

Coach Pablo will be making a trip to La Libertad, El Salvador at the end of May, 2021, to personally deliver all items to the team and run a couple of sessions with coaches and players.

Feel free to reach out to him if you have any questions. 240-398-0828 or Pabsalamanca@gmail.com