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really growing up soccer was perceived
as a sports for uh for wussies to be
totally honest it was actually very
difficult to find soccer anywhere and
really it was predominantly the sons of
immigrants who played soccer I was
fortunate enough to have a dad who gave
me the passions what he L to we play in
the in the backyard you know the rules
that you have when you are on the field
this is the type of same rules you have
when you leave the field is about
respecting each other it's about how we
can live together with our differences I
personally think that we should use
soccer more to uh to educate uh our
young
kids football from the highest levels of
the professional leagues to the humble
matches in every corner of the globe it
truly is the world's most beloved
sport proud supporters of the Grassroots
game Manchester City and etad Airways
will take you on a journey to four very
different EAD
destinations including New York home to
New York City FC and their charitable
program City in the
community this is our road to the unsung
heroes who make the game of football
truly beautiful
[Applause]
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[Applause]
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there was one particular player who
really stuck out from the group and her
name was shayen Diaz A lot of girls
didn't play soccer at the time she was
kind of one in a million she was show
that girls can do what guys can do it
was kind of like she was one of us you
was able to talk to her and she would
listen she kept the game alive if she
wasn't there I don't think I would have
the same skills that I have now I never
seen a girl like it before I actually
didn't know what happened one moment she
like didn't show up to practice didn't
show up to games and we was all
concerned worried about her not knowing
what happened to her we tried to reach
out shayene why she left us but to me I
never got an answer for her to be gone
and not coming anymore we left a big
hole
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shene was always like with the boys
playing some type of
sport or n
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I am shayene Diaz I'm 15 and I live in
East
Harlem my father left when I was
eight able to survive my sisters had to
take me to school my mom had to work
more my mom she's basically a single
parent raising four kids she's our
backbone I think I can remember the
first time she did get into soccer I
remember she was in elementary school
school and I remember I was like why are
you doing
soccer but she say oh I'm going to do it
that's what I want to do and she she
did when soccer came to be in ps72 I was
nine in the fourth grade and I said why
not why not try something
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knew during this time the friends that I
had made were bilio Tahir Eddie we were
like the Four
Musketeers and it was incredible through
soccer we all came together coach Barry
knew that we were very close and in the
future when we go off to different
schools we would split apart so he
decided to uh put us in a league I
remember the first game we was all
thought that we was going to win the
game but one once the game started we
really didn't know how to communicate
pass the ball we just didn't know what
to do and we was all like just shooting
just doing whatever but I remember we
lost pretty badly we was like I think
120 90 yeah we chose jayen to be Captain
because she stood out from the rest of
the group she never really got down and
when she could see her teammates getting
down she she just wanted to get that one
goal after all this hard work we're
we're not going to lose we're going to
win win win every time we was in a pitch
she was was there screaming come on guys
we could do this some of the guys were a
little timid they weren't particularly
leaders they were more concerned about
their own individual game whereas shayen
was more about the group and trying to
drive everyone forward and stood out as
being somebody who you know I'm going to
take charge of the situation and uh you
guys follow me she tried harder than all
most of us it helped us win a lot of
games we'd gone from losing pretty much
every game and quite heavily to starting
to compete uh to getting our first wins
and confidence was really was really On
The Rise and then just one weekend came
and shayene didn't
come during this time I was changing a
lot from being basically a little kid to
having to grow up and things are more
serious it was stressful you want to
stay a child forever you don't want to
have responsibilities but you have to so
that as well played a part we were all
sad sad during the season cuz she wasn't
there I felt upset because I lost a good
friend and I lost a leader it was hard
to make a decision that I would no
longer continue to be in something that
held me together for so
long we really missed her character her
jokes and bringing a bit of humor to the
group During the period when I stopped
playing soccer I did lose my focus I
basically fell off the rails I
became a rebel disrespecting teachers
not wanting to go to
class there were moments on the streets
where we would see each other and we
would ignore each other I felt like
everybody had a bond and then I was the
one
Outsider I was always like this perfect
child that got good grades did Sports
you know was good at home outside of
school and I had something to always
look forward to something that gave me
motivation to pull towards being so
great and then when I lost soccer it was
just like you know I had no more point
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two years ago I got a text message from
this incredible woman named Lily she
said that they had lost me for 2 years
but that she wanted me to come back when
I first met her 2 years ago I think
shayene was going through something that
a lot of girls at this age are going
through I think there was a coming of
age for her she was transitioning from
um Middle School into high school she
was a little shy and kind of was
sticking to herself and really subdued
and would kind of just hang out come in
and play and then leave and as I've seen
her progress she's gotten super involved
and I've really just seen her grow and
her confidence grow and you'll see she's
just so insightful as a high schooler
Super Wise and she's she's just a leader
in in the program for sure 1
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[Applause]
2 Saturday Night Lights basically a safe
environment where kids can go and play
every Friday and
Saturday it's a community
of a lot of people who are just willing
to help you play soccer and just help
you with school and just help you to
grow as a mentor Lily has given me so
much advice but the most important one
is that it's okay to not be
okay starting Saturday nightlights after
2 years of being
gone it felt amazing it was like a rush
in my body
and what I have been looking for and
missing so much I found it just ball in
a
gym shayen has definitely grown to be a
role model for girls not only here at
Saturday night lights but in the
community at large 1 2
3 I remember growing up that my friends
who weren't playing sports were always
getting into into trouble because they
had more free time so these programs and
playing sports it just brings so much
more and until a a young child is able
to do it they don't realize it and so I
think that's what's great to see you
know that you see these kids join a
program but it has a a huge impact on
their life in 2010 we launched the U
Lexington rooftop field and to be part
of of that program was uh was fantastic
because you just has to be there and to
see the smile and the and the face of
the kids just the fact that they had the
field where they can go and spend time
play uh enjoy themselves knowing each
other a little bit more I believe that
is how they will be a better person as
well in February I got an invite from
coach Barry to go back to P
72 I feel like 6 months or even a year
ago if he would have asked me I would
have never even responded back I would
have totally shut it out but now being
being more mature and just just going
through some things I think that I I was
able to
go seeing shayen back with the guys
today was uh was just really
exciting see her come back and join the
group where where things had started to
finally see her again it was like was
was great to be honest I had a feeling
of crying cuz as a captain she came back
playing with them the other
day it just made me realize how much I
miss it we'll be connected forever you
just can't you can never forget what you
created you know we were the first kids
to play soccer in
ps72 right now the sharing that you're
seeing is just getting back on track in
the future soccer
will allow me to Mentor other
kids I I just want I want what was given
to me to give to someone
else to me soccer
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means
families at nycfc our community programs
are very important and at the core of
what we do at the club we have many
programs throughout the five burrows and
many different initiatives that we're
also launching with 50 pitches and to
give back is something special for
everyone connected to the club we're
also excited that etti had uh one of our
partners values Community work as much
as we do and we're going to continue to
do this for for the future and continue
to grow the community programs that
we're
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doing come with us next time on City to
City when we visit Mumbai to reveal more
Untold Stories of the Grassroots game