Kensington Soccer Club (KSC) seeks to unite the broader Kensington community through youth development programs & soccer for all, regardless of ability to pay. We believe in the transformative power of soccer as a catalyst for positive change in our communities. We are a vehicle for community empowerment and opportunity, connecting our players and their families to civic engagement activities, vital social services, and employment opportunities through our organization and our community partners.
KSC started as a small, seasonal, indoor program for 85 youth but quickly grew into a year-round organization focusing on community-building, responsibility, and empowering youth leaders. The organization was founded in 2010 by public-school teacher, Jim Hardy, after his observation of the hardships that his students in Kensington were shouldering, including barriers to accessing quality afterschool activities.
Today, KSC provides the Kensington community with programming that extends into other Philadelphia neighborhoods, including after-school programs at local K-8 schools, summer camps, recreational and competitive soccer teams, educational advancement, community clinics, and employment opportunities for more than 1,700 children and their families. Our dedication to the Kensington community runs deep and has been praised by neighborhood voices, local leaders, and Governor Josh Shapiro, who highlighted our programs in a visit to one of our afterschool programs last spring (see submitted video link).
For more than a decade, we have offered programs in the KCRF funding zone, including:Recreational and competitive soccer programs at the CORE at Esperanza Health, Hissey Playground, McPherson Square Park, Harrowgate Park, Scanlon Playgorund and the Jasper Street Field;Friday Night Lights drop-in adult soccer program at Heitzman Rec CenterSummer drop-in programs at various Kensington, Harrowgate, and Fairhill parks;After-school programs at neighborhood schools, including Willard, Webster, Casarez , Hartranft, Potter-Thomas, Conwell and Sheppard;Teen in-house soccer league and KSC Prep college and career programs at the Visitation Community Center;Various community-based activities, such as book giveaways, community forums, and more at our clubhouse;And before they closed for renovations, we offered many programs at the Rivera and McVeigh Recreation Centers. Our clubhouse, located in the KCRF zone, hosts many activities.
The grant will be used to pay coaches and staff to continue existing After School programs at schools and other sites in the KCRF area, including Hartranft, Potter-Thomas, Willard and Conwell, recreational soccer at the CORE at Esperanza, teen programs at the Visitation Community Center, summer and drop-in programs at Hissey Playground, McPherson Square and Harrowgate Park, to continue enrichment activities at our clubhouse, for programs at Heitzman Rec and at Rivera Rec when it reopens.
