Lehigh University Athletics
Soccer diplomacy
3/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
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Of the Morning Call
''We said, 'There's no way he can play at this level. Not quick enough. Not ready for Division I,' '' Koski said. ''But every time you turned around and looked, he was getting the job done. You needed a calendar to time him, but every time he was on the field, he got the job done. He was such a smart player, and such a competitor, we had to have him out there.''
So it does not surprise Koski that three years after Gucciardi's college playing career ended, he's still finding a way to have an impact on soccer -- and on the world.
Gucciardi is founding director of Soccer Without Borders, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that states its ''mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for change in the lives of marginalized youth.''
In the time since Gucciardi founded the organization while earning his master's degree in Global Education Leadership in the 2005-06 school year at Lehigh, Gucciardi or other members of Soccer Without Borders have conducted programs in such far-off venues as Nicaragua, South Africa and Uganda. They also have programs in some of the San Francisco Bay Area's economically challenged neighborhoods.
''I initially did a one-year program, and I guess the original idea I had was more about wanting to share -- wanting to go to other countries and doing soccer-based stuff,'' Gucciardi said from California during a recent phone interview. ''I started getting involved in this type of work at a community center [during summer breaks from college] in
Gucciardi incorporated Soccer Without Borders as a nonprofit organization in 2006 and is looking at updating its charter to take into account its growth and potential.
''I definitely feel really committed to this for the foreseeable future,'' he said. ''There are challenges because we're still volunteer-based. I coach youth teams and work at a cafe to get by. Health insurance and those things add up, but I hope to get to a point where we can make a reasonable salary and keep doing this.
''I think we need time to show the benefits, so we can apply for grants and appeal to people. But I've been cautious to go out and ask everybody for money at this point.''
Surprises in the field
Although Gucciardi did considerable research and tapped friends and mentors in Lehigh's soccer and academic communities for advice and other assistance, he admits there were still plenty of surprises when he started the Soccer Without Borders program in
''Until you get into a community, you're talking about a lot of things that make sense on paper,'' Gucciardi said. ''Then they go out the window. They're helpful, but that was when the actual learning process started.
''You get a sense for what the kids you'll be working with are interested in, and what conditions allow for. I think the projects we've done since then were a lot more beneficial to the kids.''
The Soccer Without Borders program includes the obvious -- time spent working on soccer fundamentals -- but also academic-oriented activities such as art classes. Health-oriented issues such as nutrition also are addressed in the typical program, Gucciardi said.
Lack of positive activities
The challenges of staging a program are as diverse as the people and different parts of the world Soccer Without Borders has reached out to help, Gucciardi said.
''But it's pretty universal that there is a lack of programming and positive things for kids to do in these settings,'' he said. ''And there's also a huge love for soccer. So that's the two biggest commonalities you find.''
Closer to home, the challenges also are different, Gucciardi said.
''In
'Walks to his own beat'
With an upbringing that featured educators for parents, Gucciardi had little trouble getting motivated to attend classes at Lehigh, and was a regular on the dean's list while studying International Relations and Economics as an undergrad.
But it was obvious early in Gucciardi's college career that he was more likely to some day be running a program like Soccer Without Borders than trying to climb the ladder on Wall Street.
''He took one of those [career aptitude] tests, and it said corporate
Help from Lehigh community
Gucciardi has plenty of followers.
Former Lehigh teammate Kyle Hartman, who lives in
This story originally appeared in the Monday, March 3, 2008 edition of The Morning Call. Used with permission.
