The Houstonians embody a different approach to organized sports groups. Founded in 1996, The Houstonians Soccer Club was the first inner-city program fully funded by the City of Houston. The Houstonians leadership was focused in retaining talented soccer players at all competitive youth levels. Concentrating on inner city talent, the objective of the club was to train kids in teamwork, competition and community service, so as to refrain from the daily encounters of street gangs, drugs, and crime.
Within two years of the Houstonians foundation, the under 19 (U-19) team qualified for its first national tournament title. Since 1998, the Houstonians organization has appeared in numerous tournaments and earned an impressive number of college scholarships for its athletes.
Today, the Houstonians leadership is primarily comprised of alumni and community volunteers. The future for the Houstonians Soccer Club looks bright and compelling for the City of Houston. In 2006, the non-for-profit organization initiated a first one-of-a kind program that will catapult the club’s image to that of a full athletic academy. The Houstonians has expanded its program to include under 5 to under 10 boys teams in an academy environment. These teams are provided with professional training and instruction. The Academy, in its first year, currently includes approximately 150 members and continues to grow.
The Houstonians primary goal is to cultivate the inner city youth in becoming productive and dynamic citizens in the City of Houston. Mentoring and training through the sport of soccer allows for the Houstonians organization to reach into inner city neighborhoods and make possible the desires of many inner city families to a college education. While it is not guaranteed that each Houstonian athlete will earn a full scholarship, it without a doubt, increases the chances of any athlete in this program to meet college coaches and recruiters which increase the opportunity for scholarships and educational awareness.The Houstonians stress the importance of educational excellence by holding athletes accountable for their academic performance. The program is continuing to expand to incorporate educational programs, offer tutorial programs with seasoned teachers, and college application writing sessions and counseling.
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