A heads up that a 24-hour barefoot soccer event will be held at the start of Labor Day Weekend in an effort to help prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa.
All proceeds go to Grassroots Soccer, an outfit in Vermont that “teaches AIDS prevention to African children using soccer to facilitate its educational mission.”
Participants must donate at least $25 to the cause and are encouraged to play for at least an hour or two (not the whole 24 hours). Players will play barefoot, ” according to organizers.
The event is open to all players 4th grade to adult. Games will be small-sided and coed, with younger players playing with kids their own age. The event will be held at the Hunnewell Fields in Wellesley, MA, beginning at 4:00 pm on Friday, September 3, and continuing until 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 4. Rain dates are September 4 and 5.
Peter Diana, who is organizing the event with 15-year-old son Owen, says “Owen is obsessed with soccer, and this is an attempt to direct some of his passion towards a good cause. He’s particularly obsessed with African soccer, so Grassroots Soccer, which does work benefiting African children, is a natural fit. ”
Grassroots Soccer has organized barefoot soccer fundraisers in the past, but Diana says this is the first attempt to run one for 24 hours.
