AIA Sports Complex Hosts First Pro Team for Spring Training

“Serving the city and changing the world.” Those aren't typically the first words that come to mind to describe a professional soccer team. But that, however, is exactly the goal of the Cleveland City Stars, who are training this week at the Athletes in Action Sports Complex. The mission of the City Stars, a United Soccer League First Division team, is to reach out to underprivileged youth in urban areas of Cleveland through the game of soccer.

Through the Rising Stars’ Youth Program, the team provides soccer training and coaching clinics as well as computer education, reading, and mentoring programs. Recognizing the unique platform they have as part of a professional soccer team, coaches and players alike volunteer their time to deliver this training at inner city fields and parks. Through free soccer clinics alone the program has already positively impacted the lives of more than 5,000 children in only two years of operation.

It was this unique opportunity to combine service to others with his knowledge and love of soccer that attracted new head coach Rod Underwood to the City Stars. After being involved with the USL for the past 13 years as both a player and a coach, Underwood views this new position as way to give back—not only to the sport, which made a way for him to attend college, and eventually to provide for his family—but even more to God. Recalling his decision, Underwood says, “I want to go to the ends of Earth, and I looked at the title here, 'changing the world.' It's like, 'God, are you saying something?'”

Interestingly, it's not only the urban youth whose lives are being changed by this program; midfielder Stephen Cruickshank says the biggest transformation he's seen since being involved with the team has been in his own life. Originally from Trinidad, Cruickshank joined the City Stars solely for the development it would bring to his soccer career. Now, after a couple of years with the team, his heart for outreach has expanded, and he has become the director of the Rising Stars program. While Cruickshank is pleased with the program's growth thus far and knows it will continue to develop, he insists that, “Where I really notice changes now is in the lives of the guys on the team.”

Originally a USL-2 team, the City Stars were promoted to the USL-1 after winning the league's second division tournament in 2008. As the team made plans for pre-season training, AIA stood out as a place capable of providing a community setting for their training. This would prove valuable to a team striving to build unity among new teammates as they faced the transition into a more competitive division.

According to defender Paul Ballard, the team has not been disappointed with the results of their time here: “It's been great....you're staying right there at the fields, eating three meals a day together. It's convenient; it helps you to get to know each other.”

The City Stars is the first professional team that AIA has hosted on campus, marking the beginning of what AIA hopes will be a continuing tradition of welcoming more elite teams to their facilities. The team wrapped up their time in Xenia on April 4, when they faced the University of Dayton Flyers in an exhibition game at the AIA Complex. The City Stars won the game 2-0.

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