NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- There is a time each Wednesday night during the fall when the Old Dominion practice soccer pitch turns into a field of fun for kids and college players alike.
It's Monarch Soccer Sisters, seeing the ODU women's soccer team reach out into the community, with the players doing their part as role models.
"I love teaching little kids and just having so much fun with them," said Monarchs' freshman forward Brooke Edwards. "I was really excited."
"We all remember people who brought us to soccer or made us love soccer," added senior forward Yuliia Khrystiuk. "It all started when we were in an age 4-10, the same age as the girls in Monarch Sisters."
Each Wednesday night, a sea of young soccer lovers floods the grass at the practice field to interact and have some fun with their college heroes. The program, however, isn't about learning skills, rather the values of the ODU women's soccer team and passing them down to the next generation, with the Monarchs transforming from players to mentors.
"The idea really was to try and have something where we could really engage with the local community and also kind of try to share our culture, our values, and also with an idea of allowing our players to feel the responsibility of role models," ODU head coach Angie Hind said of the program.
"Each week we have a theme of the week with such values that we have on the team," Khrystiuk added. "Respect, teamwork, friendship and just having fun, so I think that's what the most important thing for me is."
Hind and the Monarchs have seen the program grow significantly since its inception seven years ago. What started as 30 participants has flourished into more than 120 and many of the young players are in the stands cheering the Monarchs on during college matches.
"It's so cute," smiled Edwards. "Just seeing them on the sidelines, for them just cheering us on and having so much fun watching us, it's really nice."
"Next week they come to Monarch Sisters like 'hey Yuliia, I just scored a goal in my practice just like you did in the game against VCU," Khrystiuk said. "It's really cool. I like that part a lot."
"These are the same young girls that come to our games every week and cheer and see their big sisters," Hind pointed out. "Sometimes our players are babysitters for them, so it's completely interactive and its full circle."
Monarch Soccer Sisters offers six-week sessions in the spring, summer and fall and has become a program that provides positivity on the pitch, making an impact on the local community one kick at a time.
"The best part about it is they get to engage with each other, they see it's fun, they're active and they see that, collectively, they can come together as young girls and see what they can be through their role models," Hind noted.
Old Dominion is back in action Thursday, hosting Louisiana-Monroe at 7:00 PM.
