It has been argued that the reason soccer is the most popular sport in the world is its low barrier of entry–all one needs to play is a ball and household items to mark the goals.
However for many in the world, even the most basic of equipment, like balls, cleats, and jerseys come at prices that are cost prohibitive.
This is what former Davis Legacy players Brian Birt and Michael Vernau thought of when seeing all the extra gear that the local soccer community went through each year.
But instead resigning to the fact that most of it would end up forgotten in someone’s closet, the then teenagers decided to form the non-profit Second Touch Soccer in 2013.
Their idea wasn’t novel–Second Touch Soccer would collect used gear and find new homes for it in more impoverished areas of the world–but their dedication to run a youth-led organization at a time where most of their peers were focused on other aspects of their lives, was.
With help from Vernau’s father, William, the duo set up the organization as a 501c3 non-profit and began collecting generous donations from the local community.
“(They thought) wouldn’t it be cool if that forgotten and now unloved equipment, but still in very good condition, could be recycled to kids that would love it, and likely couldn’t afford it either so they could experience the joys of football too?” the elder Vernau said. “We always thought it was important that (the kids) continued to drive it. We wanted to teach them the importance of giving back to the community and helping those less fortunate than themselves, so we thought they would understand that better if they drove the whole endeavor.”
More than a decade on, Second Touch Soccer is still going strong, with the leadership passed down from one generation of Legacy players to the next.
The current group in charge of the program features five Davis Legacy players, who regularly set up booths at local tournaments to accept gear.
Led by President Ava Brusca, the quintet also includes Isabella Hazel, Kailani Compton, Audrey Aguirre, and Miya Alamares.
“I really just wanted to give back to the community, I’ve learned so much from soccer so I wanted to share that, when the opportunity came to take (Second Touch Soccer) over, it was perfect timing,” Brusca said.
Among Second Touch Soccer’s latest projects have been facilitating with NorCal Premier Soccer the donation of 10 duffle bags of gear which were distributed throughout different parts of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana earlier this year and an outreach trip to rural Mexico the same year.
In the latter trip, 12 players from Davis Legacy, San Juan SC, and Bay Area Surf traveled south of the border to personally hand out their donations and bond with the local community.
“It was so fun, we went to rural Mexico so we could really see firsthand the impact that the donations have on these kids,” Brusca said.
The group is already planning on organizing a similar trip in 2025, but donations are always welcome, and those traveling to different parts of the world are encouraged to reach out to see about taking a gear bag with them.
Both Brusca and Vernau thanked longtime Legacy coach Jammal Anibaba for his support in this endeavor as Anibaba helps facilitate donations back to his native Nigeria.
And since the beginnings back in 2013, Second Touch Soccer has expanded to two different markets in the Bay Area, with the hope of continuing to further grow.
“There’s so much excess used gear (in the area), that if we could just connect the dots to someone in another country, they can use it,” Brusca said.
Learn more about Second Touch Soccer or how you can support them by visiting their website here.
https://www.2ndtouchsoccer.org/