Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Hough. Them and their team share their story with us below:
901 Girls With Goals was founded in 2018 by Paula Seward and Carrie Hough as a means to continue to support local area girls’ school soccer programs and share their love of the game that has given them so much.
In 2016, the idea for 901 Girls With Goals was cultivated when women from Greenfield Arena’s indoor soccer community and the Laid Back League were able to provide equipment and facilitate practices for a local high school that was starting a girls’ soccer program.
Paula and Carrie saw how big the need was even with one school, and set about working to build a structure that could support more schools and expand impact beyond just supplying equipment.
Since its inception, 901 Girls With Goals has supported 18 schools, impacting over 400 girls through equipment support for school programs, free clinics, and funding for additional opportunities for play.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Early on, while attending the games of the schools we provided equipment support and we recognized that there was an additional need for coaching support as well. Many of the school coaches had little experience with the game of soccer, most never having played the game, and few with prior soccer coaching experience or training.
With the return to play in the 2021 season, 901 Girls With Goals hosted its first coaches clinic prior to the start of the season. 20 coaches from 18 area schools attended the clinic where they were shown drills, given access to an app for practice plans, and given information on proper warm-up techniques and nutrition.
In addition, it provided the coaches an opportunity to interact with their peers and develop new relationships in the school soccer community.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Our clinics are free, however over the past year we discovered that transportation to our Saturday clinics can be a barrier for many. This spring we started a pilot program to bring the clinics to girls, on site after school. We are working with three schools in different parts of the city to hold 6-8 skill sessions, where the girls can focus on basic soccer skills, and things they can work on at home over the summer in preparation for the fall school season. In addition, we were able to provide coaching support for a middle school co-ed team this spring. It was great to see the kids improve week over week.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why?
The most important thing for us that is that girls have the proper equipment to play. We never want a girl to be turned away because she doesn’t have cleats, shin guards, etc.
We don’t want a school to not field a team because they don’t have the budget for uniforms or balls. Without the equipment, in many cases, the girl does not play or the team doesn’t exist. We want to help keep girls active and engaged in sports and give them the opportunity to learn the lessons that playing team sports teaches.
At 901 Girls With Goals, we believe the skills learned on the field, winning and losing, setting and reaching goals, getting back up when you go down, working together as a team, and the friendships made on the field are something every girl should have the opportunity to be a part of.
Pricing:
- $30 Cleats
- $50 Cleats, socks, shin guards
- $60 After school clinic
- $150 Saturday Clinic
- $350 Jerseys for a team
Contact Info:
- Email: 901gwg@gmail.com
- Website: 901girlswgoals.com
- Instagram: @901girlswithgoals
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/901girlswithgoals
