Oakland Unified School District announced Thursday that it will expand its partnership with the U.S. Soccer Federation to grow youth soccer opportunities at Oakland schools.
The district will work specifically with the Soccer Forward Foundation, U.S. Soccer’s community-impact effort that was launched to expand nationwide access with connection to the FIFA World Cup 26. The partnership aims to expand the Soccer at Schools initiative, which will train educators across the district on how to integrate soccer into the school day starting in the 2026-27 school year.
Soccer at Schools is a nationwide U.S. Soccer program launched in March, to grow the game by bringing soccer opportunities, such as physical education lessons, educator training and equipment, to every school nationwide by 2030.
“Soccer has the power to create healthier schools, stronger communities and greater opportunities for young people,” Lex Chalat, executive director of the Soccer Forward Foundation, said in a statement.
The district hopes the program will give its educators the “tools, resources and confidence” to expand soccer opportunities at Oakland schools. The program will also work to connect OUSD students with community-based soccer programming throughout the Bay Area.
The program builds on the district’s recent efforts to expand soccer opportunities at its schools.
In January 2025, OUSD reached an agreement with Soccer Without Borders, a nonprofit organization that uses soccer to help underprivileged youth, to provide year-round after-school soccer programming and academic tutoring for middle and high school students at select schools in the district.
In April, an official FIFA Arena, a mini-sized FIFA-sponsored soccer pitch, was opened at Montera Middle School in Oakland’s Montclair neighborhood in partnership with U.S. Soccer and other community partners.
In a statement, OUSD Superintendent Denise Saddler said that through Soccer at Schools, OUSD is working alongside partners to “enhance the educational experiences of Oakland students.”
“We know soccer will help an increasing number of students as they learn and grow as athletes, people and leaders,” Saddler said.
In Oakland, the initiative is delivered through the Oakland Athletic League, OUSD’s official interscholastic athletics league, and in direct collaboration with Oakland Genesis, an Oakland-based nonprofit that provides youth soccer programming. Since 2019, Oakland Genesis has provided after-school soccer programming to OUSD schools.
The program is also supported by many Bay Area sports-focused community organizations like the San Jose Earthquakes, Bay FC, Bay Area Host Committee and other major Bay Area youth soccer teams and leagues.
“By bringing together schools, community organizations and local leaders, we’re helping ensure the momentum created by the tournament results in meaningful experiences for Oakland’s young people long after the final match is played,” said Zaileen Janmohammed, president and chief executive officer of the Bay Area Host Committee, the organization which helped coordinate the World Cup and Super Bowl in the region.
The host committee recently announced its plans to become a permanent leadership commission that will continue to bring sports events to the Bay Area for years to come, with the grassroots growth of sports culture in the Bay Area remaining an organizational priority.