Many people have happy childhood memories of playing on sports teams. But for low-income families, the cost of uniforms, league fees, and transportation can put youth sports out of reach. The Strong Youth Project, a BYU-affiliated group dedicated to improving youth sports, recently led a program to make youth soccer more accessible.
For eight weeks in the spring of 2026, the Strong Youth Project hosted free soccer practices and games at a Title I elementary school in Spanish Fork. BYU exercise science professor Matthew K. Seeley says many of the kids at the school “face immense, overwhelming socioeconomic challenges” unfamiliar to other children in Utah Valley.
At practices 10 BYU faculty and more than 50 BYU students taught soccer skills to 80 grade-school athletes. They also taught principles of physical fitness, nutrition, sleep, emotional regulation, and character development. Throughout the project, researchers tracked changes in the athletes’ behavior and habits. “Some of the kids were behaviorally difficult in the beginning,” says research administrator Cacia M. Rasmussen (BS ’23). But over time, she saw them improve greatly. “They were so much more confident,” she says. “They loved showing us what they’ve learned and what they can do.”
Sharla M. Barber, a counselor at the elementary school, says excitement about the project was felt across campus. “Some of the kids came to school in full uniform almost every day,” she says, and teachers reported improved attitudes and engagement in the classroom.
Madilyn M. Sperry had two children participate. She loves that the program focused not just on teaching the children but on strengthening their families. “We’re a blended family, and we were struggling to figure out routines and emotional stability at a new school,” Sperry says. “The soccer program really brought my kids closer together.”
Exercise and wellness student Amelia Hunter Cook (BA ’26) participated in the project as an assistant soccer coach. Having attended the school as a child, Cook enjoyed the opportunity to return and serve where she grew up. “It gave me a greater perspective,” she says. “It taught me just how important community is.”
“This project is very needed,” Seeley says. “If we can find the funding, we want to double the size next year.” Ultimately he hopes to see this program implemented in countless elementary schools. “There’s a bigger force at work here than a bunch of BYU faculty and students.”
