PA Classics Crossbar Challenge

Want to help less fortunate kids have fun with soccer like you do, and also earn some bragging rights on your team?

Take the PA Classics Crossbar Challenge! Your entry fee is a donation to Chester Upland Youth Soccer, which provides free after-school and weekend soccer, nutrition education and mentorship for kids in the traditionally underserved communities of Chester, Upland and Eddystone, PA.

Take these five easy steps:

  1. Donate $5 per player or more using this form, Venmo @CUYouthSoccer or CashApp @$CUYS19013. Checks can be made payable to Chester Upland Youth Soccer and mailed to 311 East Baltimore Ave, Media, PA 19063. Please note player name(s) and team(s) in the comments section or on our donor wall, or in the memo line of your check.

  2. Take a video of yourself shooting on a goal three times, aiming to hit the crossbar.

  3. Submit the video to your coach before May 15, 2022.

  4. Top performers in this challenge: Your coach will invite you to compete against each other in a live crossbar challenge at a late May practice.

  5. Winners will be highlighted in a social media celebration.

But truly, everyone who participates is a winner because your participation supports access to soccer regardless of economic status.

Here are other ways that you can share the game of soccer:

Ages 18+: Become a Coach/Mentor

Ages 14+: Become a Referee

Ages 12+: Volunteer as (junior) coach, homework helper, art/music mentor or in another capacity.

Run a sports bra drive.

Collect healthy snacks for our soccer players.

Provide a philanthropic opportunity at your next event.

Why does Chester Upland Youth Soccer do what we do? Here are some compelling reasons:

  • According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the most dangerous period for juveniles to both commit and be victims of crime are the hours immediately following the school day. This program provides participants with a healthy and productive way to spend after-school hours in a cooperative and well-supervised environment, engaging in activities that lead to improved self-esteem and confidence.

  • In the United States, nearly one in three children is overweight or obese. The problem is even more acute in underserved populations. Regular soccer activities provide a tool to combat childhood obesity while promoting healthy lifestyles through nutrition education.

  • Young athletes do better in school, devote more time to studying, think more about their future, aspire to attend and graduate college, and have lower suspension and expulsion rates. (“The Benefits of Youth Sports,” 2017 National Council for Youth Sports)

  • Mentored youth are more likely to aspire to and attend college, more likely to take leadership roles in school and extracurricular activities, and more likely to regularly volunteer in their communities; additionally, these positive mentoring effects have a greater impact on at-risk youth. (“The Mentoring Effect,” 2014)

  • Every child deserves the opportunity to play youth sports, but economic inequality leads to inequity in sports participation rates.

Thanks for playing with us!