From one mother and daughter’s idea to a citywide movement.

In 2007, Stephanie McArdle and her mother, Ellen — once Stephanie’s youth coach before she captained the University of Michigan Women’s Soccer Team — saw something missing in Lawrence: opportunity. Despite a high school of 3,000 students, there was no girls’ varsity soccer team and no youth feeder programs. With just 12 middle school girls, they launched Lawrence’s very first travel soccer team. The girls proudly named themselves the Wolves.

The Wolves faced enormous challenges, competing against teams with more resources and years of experience. But they also discovered the power of teamwork, perseverance, and community. In 2009, after tireless effort, they broke barriers by becoming the first Lawrence team to compete in the Essex County Youth Soccer League.

From that first team, a movement grew.

Inspired by the Wolves’ success, Beyond Soccer expanded into more teams and began building “off the field” programs that blended academics, health, and leadership. What started as a single girls’ team became a full youth development model designed to close opportunity gaps and help young people thrive on and off the field.

Since officially incorporating in 2011, Beyond Soccer has:

• Reached over 8,000 youth, ages 4–22
  
• Built lasting school partnerships across Lawrence to bring sport and nutrition into the school day
• Sponsored thousands of hours of summer camps and clinics annually
  
• Developed a holistic model that addresses health, education, and leadership through the lens of sport
  

Our impact is measured in stories.

Oriagna Inirio, one of the original Wolves, began her journey with no sports background. Over the years, she returned every summer to coach younger players, while earning her degree from St. Anselm University. Today, she continues to inspire as Beyond Soccer’s first Communications Manager. Stories like Oriagna’s remind us why we keep fighting for resources and opportunities: so more kids in Lawrence can see — and seize — their own potential.

Today, Beyond Soccer is more than a sports program.

It is a proven model for how sport can transform communities, fight systemic inequities, and build brighter futures. And it all started with one mother and one daughter, believing in what was possible.