DC SCORES, the Washington Spirit, and Clark Foundation Launch Middle School Girls’ Soccer League Initiative

The Washington Spirit and the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation have teamed up in a new initiative to enhance programming for middle schoolers participating in programming delivered by the award-winning nonprofit DC SCORES.

The Clark Foundation is making a significant investment in DC SCORES by funding its middle school girls’, boys’, and coed soccer leagues. These leagues are part of the nonprofit’s after-school program, which serves more than 3,500 kids. The initiative will also prioritize girls’ participation in DC SCORES, with the Washington Spirit serving as the presenting partner of the girls’ league. 

The announcement was made on National Girls and Women in Sports Day (February 5), which celebrates the accomplishments of women athletes and inspires girls and women to play and be active. 

DC SCORES serves over 3,500 young people across 68 D.C. schools through its after-school soccer, poetry, and service-learning program. The program, offered five days a week after school at no cost to participants known as “poet-athletes,” includes weekly league game days, tournaments, poetry slams, and community festivals. 

DC SCORES and the Washington Spirit formed an Official Community Partnership in 2020 to encourage girls’ participation in sports. Through the partnership, poet-athletes connect with professional player role models, attend Spirit home matches to see their heroes in action, and benefit from training opportunities with Spirit players and athletic staff dedicated to leading women’s sports innovation and athletic performance. 

“We at the Washington Spirit are excited to strengthen our partnership with DC SCORES, working together to provide more opportunities for girls in DC to play soccer, especially at a time when the participation gap between girls and boys in sports continues to widen,” said RaShauna Hamilton, Vice President of Fan Growth and Community with the Washington Spirit.

The Clark Foundation partners with organizations to strengthen their ability to meet the needs of the individuals, families, and communities they serve. The Foundation focuses its philanthropy in three strategic areas, one of which is providing members of the D.C. community the best opportunity to thrive. In 2023, the Foundation invested in DC SCORES’ efforts to build infrastructure to sustain the growth of its afterschool programming to more Title 1 schools.

“The Clark Foundation is thrilled to expand our support for DC SCORES, helping bring the game of soccer to even more students across D.C., with a special focus on increasing access for girls,” said Joe Del Guercio, President and CEO of the Clark Foundation. “We believe that investing in young people — both on and off the field — is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen our community.”

The Clark Foundation’s investment will fund weekly league gamedays called by professional referees at some of D.C.’s premier soccer venues. The Spirit will host clinics, led by the club’s athletic staff, for poet-athletes in the girls’ league and provide enhanced technical training for girls’ team coaches. Every girl in the middle school league will also be able to attend a 2025 Spirit match in the DC SCORES Young Supporters Section at Audi Field.

“Our new initiative with the Clark Foundation and the Washington Spirit will inspire girls across the District, demonstrating that they can excel in sports and have the unwavering backing of some of our nation’s best athletes,” said Katrina Owens, executive director of DC SCORES. “With this investment from both organizations, we will give girls even more support to participate in the sport they love and build their confidence to pursue their ambitions.”