THE GOAL WAS SIMPLE:

PROVIDE GREATER ACCESS TO SOCCER FOR YOUTH IN THE BROADER KENSINGTON AREA.

In 2010, Founder and Executive Director Jim Hardy had been teaching in Kensington for a few years and was looking for a way to make an impact beyond the classroom. He had a few students who were crazy for soccer, so Hardy worked to get them a spot on one of Philly’s few teen travel teams, only to realize that transportation and cost made it still completely inaccessible. Then two students from Hardy’s school got into a fist fight over the summer and one died. Hardy and the whole school community were devastated.

Hardy became desperate to find a way to help keep children safe and busy with positive activities when they weren’t in school. His background was in political and community organizing and he was an avid soccer player, so he decided the best way he could contribute was by creating a free community soccer program. He quit playing soccer and scaled back everything else in his life to make that happen. This was the beginning of Kensington Soccer Club.

Hardy led the charge of establishing the club’s first program in 2010, with the help of co-workers, residents, and other community organizers. First they ran a small indoor program for teens from January through March and had so many younger kids asking to play that it quickly expanded to include more ages. Through this program, Hardy knew he could provide his students with a healthy and positive activity while sharing the game he loved with others. That summer, they served 85 kids, all coached by friends and volunteers. The following year, KSC got its first grant and used it to create a teen leader program, to give them experience in responsibility and community-building. From there, the organization continued to grow as more players, coaches, and volunteers began to get involved with KSC.

What started as a small seasonal program quickly grew into a year-round soccer organization. Kensington Soccer Club now offers competitive travel and recreational soccer, after-school programs, summer camps, community clinics, and employment opportunities for more than 1,500 families in the Kensington neighborhood.

KSC’s community efforts have been recognized by numerous media outlets, including The Philadelphia Inquirer, 6ABC, Telemundo 62, WFMZ 69, SB Nation, Chalkbeat Philadelphia, Kensington Voice, The Philadelphia Citizen, Philadelphia Neighborhoods, The Philly Soccer Page, Star Newspaper, and Spirit News. It’s also been recognized by the City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Soccer 2026, the Philadelphia Union, and Major League Soccer. To read some of KSC’s press coverage, click here.

KSC works with a number of local, regional, and national partners such as the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Street Soccer USA, Up2Us Sports, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, JT Dorsey Foundation, and Noris Square Community Alliance. Learn more about who we’ve worked with and the work we’ve done in Our Work.

KSC has been serving its local community every year since 2010, each year having a greater impact than the last. Now, things are looking bigger and brighter than ever. With growing awareness and participation and increased funding and programming, things at KSC have never been more exciting.

With the continued support of our partners, our city, and — most importantly — our community, we can’t wait to continue building on our mission to make soccer and personal development available #ForAll.