The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

Newsletter Signup

Get our news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

* indicates required

Appalachian’s women’s soccer takes the time to give back to community

Appalachians womens soccer takes the time to give back to community

Many people recognize Appalachian State University athletes for what they bring to their sports, but for the women’s soccer team, it also has to do with what they bring to the community.

In 2011, head coach Sarah Strickland started the family system for her program. Each team member is put into a family of five to six teammates to help complete community service tasks in Boone.

The families are decided by the personalities of the players, and the athletes have full control over the name of their family as well as what community service activities they will complete.

There are currently six families on the team. They are The Proud Family, Spitting Llamas, The Bad Girls Club, Six-Man Wolf Pack, Seis Hermanas and The Stricklands.

“The system works really well for getting the girls involved with the community,” Strickland said. “We have alumni that still gets dinner with members of their families and it’s a great way to make incoming recruits feel welcome and show them that they have someone to rely on.”

The Mountaineers give back to the community by picking six activities and carrying them out during the offseason. A few places where the team frequents are the Humane Society, F.A.R.M. Cafe, Hardin Park Elementary and the Scholars with Diverse Abilities Program at the university.

“It’s a great way to help the shyer freshmen feel at home,” sophomore goalkeeper Megan Roberson said. “The family system is a way for all of us to get closer and really give us a way to bond with players from different years.”

Roberson said that the freedom to pick their own community service events really made she and her teammates excited about giving back to community members that support their program regularly.

Recently the team started getting dinner and interacting with students in SDAP thanks to junior defender Nicole Steyl.

“My major is Communication Sciences and Disorders and my minor is Special Education so it’s really great to bring my passion to the team by working with SDAP,” Steyl said. “We have dinners on campus with students in the program for a couple hours a week. The students really love it and it gives us a chance to get to know their stories and spend time with them.”

The family system remains unknown to most Appalachian students thanks to Strickland’s humble approach about their community service. Many of the team’s events are off campus so they can give back to more than just the university.

“The reason people are surprised about the program when they find out about it is because we don’t feel the need to pride ourselves every time the girls volunteer,” Strickland said. “We don’t need to post pictures and statuses all over social media. It’s kind of our way of thanking the community without broadcasting more than we have to.”

Strickland said the community service that the team provides for the local businesses and programs around Boone is a way to thank the community for everything they have done for the team.

The team started an online silent auction at 32auctions.com/appstatewomensoccercom where members of the community donated gift cards, vacation packages and gift packages to be actioned off to help fund the team’s travels next year during the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

The auction started April 14 and will end April 30. The team is currently at 31.4 percent of its $10,000 goal for the auction. All of the money raised has been raised by community members donating items to be auctioned and bidding on other auctions.

A four-on-four tournament will also be held April 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as a salute to the community members. The women’s soccer team will act as referees at the event which will be catered by donations from local grocers like Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods.

“So much is given to us by the community that all of our players are happy to partake in the program,” Strickland said. “Everyone gets so excited to find out what family they’re in when they get recruited here and the system has been a huge success in giving the team a way to give back to our community.”

Story: Jess Lyons, Sports Reporter

Leave a Comment
Donate to The Appalachian
$1201
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

We hope you appreciate this article! Before you move on, our student staff wanted to ask if you would consider supporting The Appalachian's award-winning journalism. We are celebrating our 90th anniversary of The Appalachian in 2024!

We receive funding from the university, which helps us to compensate our students for the work they do for The Appalachian. However, the bulk of our operational expenses — from printing and website hosting to training and entering our work into competitions — is dependent upon advertising revenue and donations. We cannot exist without the financial and educational support of our fellow departments on campus, our local and regional businesses, and donations of money and time from alumni, parents, subscribers and friends.

Our journalism is produced to serve the public interest, both on campus and within the community. From anywhere in the world, readers can access our paywall-free journalism, through our website, through our email newsletter, and through our social media channels. Our supporters help to keep us editorially independent, user-friendly, and accessible to everyone.

If you can, please consider supporting us with a financial gift from $10. We appreciate your consideration and support of student journalism at Appalachian State University. If you prefer to make a tax-deductible donation, or if you would prefer to make a recurring monthly gift, please give to The Appalachian Student News Fund through the university here: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1727/cg20/form.aspx?sid=1727&gid=2&pgid=392&cid=1011&dids=418.15&bledit=1&sort=1.

Donate to The Appalachian
$1201
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Appalachian Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *