On July 30, 15 young people from Minneapolis who have experienced homelessness in the last year will step on the “court” (see “Sport Court” reference below) and participate in the 2010 USA Street Soccer Cup in Washington, DC.

The YouthLink team, Up Top, is making its third appearance in the event—it won the event back in 2008 and came in second-place last year. The team is determined to win back the championship title in 2010.

In all, 23 teams from cities across the U.S., including New York, Chicago, Charlotte and Los Angeles, compete in the three-day event from July 30-Aug. 1. A team from Russia will even make the trip this year.

And, for the first time, YouthLink will send an all-female team to the event this year.

What’s unique about the event is that all players must not only understand the game of soccer—they must be working toward personal goals they’ve set for themselves, too. Both YouthLink and Street Soccer USA make that a priority for all participants.

It’s also an outstanding opportunity for the young people representing Minneapolis. For seven days, they don’t have to worry about a roof over their heads. They don’t have to think about where their next meal will come from. And, they’re exposed to a whole new world by traveling to our nation’s Capitol.

If you’re not familiar with street soccer, it’s played on a Sport Court surface and is comprised of four players—one goalkeeper and three players. Games last 15 minutes and average more than eight goals per game.

Two ways you can make a difference

Fifteen Up Top team members and four YouthLink staff will make the journey to Washington, DC in late July. But, we are still looking for a few volunteer coaches to help with practices and games here in Minneapolis before and after the event.

If you’re interested in volunteering to help the YouthLink street soccer program, please email youthlink@youthlinkmn.org or call 612.252.1200.

If you can’t donate your time to support the YouthLink street soccer program, maybe you can make a difference by shopping!

That’s right, by shopping at giant retailers like Target, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble, you will send a percentage of each purchase directly to the YouthLink street soccer team thanks to a program called “Shop for Social Change,” an online fundraising tool developed by LoyaltyClicks (at no charge to you).

All you have to do is visit http://shopforsocialchange.org, register and start shopping.

As an added bonus, LoyaltyClicks will donate $1 for every Shop for Social Change registration (up to 500 registrations) to the team with the most registrations by July 15. So, you can help the YouthLink street soccer team earn $500 just by registering!