Prince George Street Soccer

Lauren Galbraith and Stefan Widmer are the Co-Directors of the Prince George Street Soccer program.

Both Lauren and Stefan are 2nd year UBC Medical Students studying at the UNBC Northern Medical Program.

Seeing the disparity between certain populations in Prince George and the health care system through their studies at the Northern Medical Program, they decided to start a soccer initiative in an attempt to improve health outcomes for people that fall within the classification of homeless, drug afflicted or mentally ill.

During their youth, both Lauren and Stefan have been heavily involved in athletics, and have been fortunate to experience the benefits and positive outcomes that come from sports participation.

For these reasons, they decided to start a Street Soccer Program here in Prince George.

Street Soccer is a Registered Charity Program commenced in 2006 with 13 teams in 8 cities with BC.  The founder of the program is Doctor Alan Bates, starting the Vancouver Street Soccer League.

In Prince George, a survey of a number of street people revealed that 30% of these people are absolutely homeless, while an additional 51% have drug additions.  These people are referred to as "Marginalized Populations".

Current participation in the Street Soccer Program is restricted to young adults, 18+ years of age.  This program is in its first year of operation in Prince George, with the goal of retaining a strong connection to the Northern Medical Program at UNBC.

The Street Soccer events are held weekly at the Ron Brent Elementary School, between 8 and 9 PM.  The local teams are competing with other sport teams in Prince George, such as the RCMP, Northern Health or any other organized group that wants to be involved.

The Prince George Street Soccer Program is planning to participate in the National Tournament held in Vancouver in May 2014, where they will have the opportunity to compete with other teams from some of the other cities.  

The Prince George Street Soccer Program requires help with securing: Funding; Equipment; Volunteers and expenses, such as rental and insurance costs for their venue.

For additional information, contact:  princegeorgestreetsoccer@gmail.com  or Facebook: pgstreetsoccer  or Twitter: pgstreetsoccer

Rotarian Bill Bateman thanked both Lauren and Stefan with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.