Soccer Community Stands United To Help High School Team

The local soccer community has embraced the Arizona United Soccer Club since coming to the Valley. Thursday, the club had a chance to give back.

Partnering with SupportMyClub.org, head coach Michael Dellorusso and other members of the soccer club came to South Mountain High School to donate new soccer uniforms and equipment to the girl’s soccer team.

“I’m a product of this. I grew up playing on a field that had tar on it with not much grass and goals with no nets. I know what this is all about, that’s what we’re here for and hopefully any bit we can do to help is something extra for these girls,” Dellorusso said.

Support My Club is a site where clubs within public high schools across the Valley can create wish-lists of equipment, funding for conferences, and other tools to assist in their success. Donors log on to the site and can put forth funding for these tools. In this case, it was new uniforms and equipment for the team. Another aspect of the program makes it so the beneficiaries of these donations continue to pass along the service.

“For every $100 of value that the club receives, they do an hour of community service back into either their local school or their community around them. It gives them a chance to be the giver,” Support My Club Founder and President Amy Armstrong said.

With their wish-list set up, South Mountain Head Girl’s Soccer Coach Gary Shindler took to the internet to spread the word and help support his team. The support he received was overwhelming.

“You give what you give and it’s a great feeling. I have great friends”.

These donations and new gifts for the team have also brought a new focus to the team to bring their game to new heights.

“Even though it’s not going to really affect the way we play, it’s still going to give us that motivation saying we should put our hearts up, play our hearts out out there since people expect us to play great,” Defenseman Mitzy Castaneda said.

And these high expectation to play great has brought an enthusiasm to the team across the campus.

“I bet by Monday or Tuesday we have five new players simply because of the atmosphere and the energy on the campus,” Shindler said.