‘Kids don’t have to pay a penny’ Jefferson County Circuit Judge Brian Edwards is one of the many volunteers who works with close to 400 kids, on a recreational and competitive level.
For kids of all backgrounds in Louisville, soccer is a universal language. It’s less expensive than most other team sports, without a lot of equipment needed. Children of any age and gender can play, and former Louisville City FC standout George Davis IV noted that its popularity overseas, where they “live and breathe the sport,” gives it appeal to kids from immigrant families looking to connect with their peers. So when Brian Edwards, a Jefferson Circuit Court judge, watched his two sons fall in love with the game, he noticed a glaring hole in Louisville’s youth soccer system. “Where I found it to be problematic is the participants weren’t very diverse,” he said. “There were very few Black kids playing the sport — and even fewer kids from West Louisville — playing at a competitive level.” West Louisville Soccer, now in its third season, was Edwards’ answer. Edwards founded the growing youth soccer club in 2022 along with Marcus Harris, an experienced organizer in the West End, and Davis, who won two USL championships with Louisville City FC before transitioning to a role in the club’s front office. Competitive soccer can open doors. Teens who excel at the game can land scholarships they wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. Davis, for instance, starred for the University of Kentucky’s men’s soccer team before launching his professional career and still makes a living off the sport even though his playing days are over. Still, “in order to be around the best players, in order to be around the best coaches, you have to pay to play,” Davis noted. “Not every player has the means to do that, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the ability to play competitive travel soccer.” Louisville’s most well-known soccer clubs are based out of the East End. The goal of West Louisville Soccer is to give kids from the West End, where poverty rates in the city are at their highest, a better chance to play by cutting back on barriers such as travel and a lack of access to quality coaching and facilities. Read more Lucas AulbachLouisville Courier Journal
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — West Louisville Soccer was back on the field at Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center on Sunday. This is the team’s third game in its first-ever spring season. The team was started by circuit judge Brian Edwards, Lou City player George Davis and community organizer Mark Harris in the Fall of 2023. The club addresses the lack of organized sports in the area for children. Boys and girls have the chance to learn the game of soccer and how to work as a team. “I always say that our emphasis is not placed on how good of a soccer player you are but rather what type of person you are and what type of teammate you are,” said Co-Founder George Davis. “Being a good person and having strong character is really the aim of what we’re trying to do here.” Since the West Louisville Soccer Club began it has grown to include more than 300 boys and girls Danielle Goodmanhttps://www.wlky.com/article/west-louisville-soccer-club-first-spring-season/60769630
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Circuit Judge Brian Edwards, Louisville City FC player George Davis IV and Marcus Harris created the West Louisville Soccer Club in fall 2023 to provide more organized sports for boys and girls living in west Louisville. Edwards says the techniques these students learn stretch well beyond the game. He’s aiming to stop more children from making the poor choices that send them straight to his courtroom. “We are trying to teach these kids just those basic core lessons of accountability, of showing up,” Edwards said. “I think conflict resolution skills are lacking. Kids get frustrated and they respond to their emotions, and they act out in ways that they shouldn’t.” The directors of the club say they currently have about 40 students on two teams learning everything from the importance of teamwork, hard work, and discipline. “I always say that our emphasis is not placed on how good of a soccer player you are, but rather what type of person you are and what type of teammate you are,” Davis said. “Being a good person, having strong character, that’s really the aim of what we’re trying to do here.” The West Louisville Soccer Club provides boys and girls the opportunity to participate at both the recreational level and the competitive level. https://www.wlky.com/article/west-louisville-soccer-club-students-success-activity-after-school/60290089 Jamie MayesReporter
Louisville, Ky. (March 22, 2024) – West Louisville Soccer Club continues to make a positive impact on the youth in West Louisville by kicking off its inaugural spring season at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center this Sunday, March 24 with games at 1 and 5 pm. The club will host all spring home games on the campus with additional games scheduled on April 21 and May 12. WEST LOUISVILLE SOCCER PLAYS INAUGURAL SPRING SEASON AT NORTON HEALTHCARE SPORTS & LEARNING CENTER | Norton SLC
Author: WHAS11 StaffLOUISVILLE, Ky. — The love of soccer has quickly grown in Louisville over the years and a first of its kind tournament took place on Saturday.Louisville Parks and Recreation joined with the West Louisville Soccer Club to start the All City Championship. About 230 Jefferson County Public School students gathered at Champions Park to compete in the tournament. The West Louisville Soccer Club said the tournament is another way to grow the game’s presence in the city. “It makes it all worth it when you see all the smiles on the young boys and girls faces – and you know, their eyes are big and with that comes emotions and passion,” George Davis IV with the LouCity and Racing Foundation said. “You know, you see teams winning and celebrating with each other. And that’s what you want to see. But on the other side, it’s the emotion of the loads, and the team’s losing and, and a few tears but that’s the beauty of sports. And there’s so much to be gained from that in that moment and that experience. So I’m glad these young boys and girls can go through that.”Organizers said they hope to continue the tournament for years to come.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A local judge and a retired professional athlete created a soccer league to introduce the sport to more children in west Louisville.It’s the inaugural season for West Louisville Soccer. The league was started by Circuit Court Judge Brian Edwards and retired Louisville City FC player George Davis.“Personally, what inspired me was to go to all these games and go to these tournaments, and there were no other kids that looked like my sons out there,” Edwards said. “And I didn’t understand why.” https://www.wdrb.com/news/new-soccer-league-introducing-sport-to-children-in-west-louisville/article_3ac313ee-5b06-11ed-89d1-ebebebc64496.html