Soccer Africa Project
When Dan Wagner first developed the Soccer Africa Project, it was a small community service project with humble goals. All of that changed in August, 2007. One day prior to Franklin & Marshall’s men’s soccer team’s arrival on campus, rising senior and returning All-Centennial Conference choice, Christopher T. Campbell, passed away. From the tradgedy of his passing, a township half a world away has received hope.
The men's soccer team is living up to its Diplomats namesake,
working to build the Christopher T. Campbell Memorial Soccer
Complex in Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town, South Africa. The
Diplomats broke ground in March of 2008 during an 11-day goodwill
tour of South Africa. Franklin & Marshall's soccer team is
working alongside Grassroot Soccer to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa, and CTCTen.org to build
the Campbell Complex. The complex will be the central cog in an
education-plus sports program. Using the power of soccer in the
fight against AIDS, Grassroot Soccer provides African youth with
the knowledge, skills and support to live HIV free.
The Diplomats have raised $300,000 in
less than a year and are well on their way to fund the
$350,000, lighted turf facility in Khayelitsha Township in
honor of the late Campbell.
Campbell's family requested donations be made to F&M's Soccer
Africa Project, which began with the Diplomats head coach, Dan
Wagner, whose epiphany came during a service at Lancaster County
Bible Church. A 1995 graduate of Messiah College, Wagner conceived
of a mission to provide HIV/ AIDS prevention education to children
in South Africa while instilling life-long leadership skills and a
deeper understanding of global issues and culture among Franklin
& Marshall student-athletes.
53 Diplomats traveled to Khayelitsha, in March to run a series of
HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention soccer clinics. They also took
with them donated uniforms and soccer equipment for use at the
complex and throughout the region.
|
| Survivor Africa star and Fox Sports soccer analyst, Ethan Zohn,
and Walt Noto, father of F&M junior Eric Noto, look on
while F&M soccer players conduct drills for the children of
Khayelitsha Township. |
|
| Tyler Wagner joins hands in the circle of Khayelitsha
Township's budding soccer stars. |
|
| Dan Wagner presents the "down payment" for the Christopher T. Campbell Memorial Soccer Complex. The Diplomats took hundreds of soccer balls and other donated equipment on their jounrey. |
|
| Dan Shuptar hams it up for the camera. |
|
| South African native and F&M goalkeeper, Adrian Heredia, stops for a shot with his fellow countrymen. |
