The summer is all about customizing player participation with unique out-of-school time experiences that build on kids’ strengths, promote long-term engagement, and expose them to new people and places both in Lawrence and #beyond the City limits. One main objective is to connect at least 90% of our year-round Lawrence Soccer & Beyond Volley participants to quality summertime opportunities (i.e., camps, clinics, conferences, outings) through our extensive partner network, plus engage new first-time players, as young as 4 through our signature summer events, like the Annual Sports & Wellness Academy. Further, we ensure that 100% of these activities and experiences are run by youth who have grown up in our programs through our growing Summer Youth Jobs program!

SAVE THE DATE FOR 2024!!

Monday, July 8th – Thursday, July 11th (2024)

Monday, July 15th – Thursday, July 18th (2024)

We’re looking forward to the 13th year of our Annual Soccer & Wellness Academy. It should connect 150-200 elementary & middle school youth to 2 weeks of soccer play, fitness games, and special guests like the Lawrence Public Library, Police, and Fire. 

It will be staffed by 30+ Coach Mentors, or mostly Beyond Soccer H.S. & college-aged players as part of our Youth Summer Jobs focus. A special thanks to long-time partners: New Balance, Greater Lawrence Summer Fund, City of Lawrence, Lawrence Summer Meals, UMass Ext. Nutrition Education, BCH FitKit, AG Healthy Summer Youth Jobs, Commonwealth Motors, Blue Piano Fund, Enterprise Bank, Everyone’s A Player, MassHire & More! Almost 2,500 youth have participated since its inception!

Another Successful... Sport & Wellness Camp in the Books!

Testimonials and Pictures from the last 2 years of the Sport & Wellness Experience

Thanks for kicking off summer 2023... with a day of play on June 24th! #PLAYDAY

#PLAYDAY23

June 24th, 2023 – Official Summer Kickoff!

We kicked off the summer season with the nationally recognized #PlayDay on Saturday, June 24th, at Pavilion @ Riverwalk! Thanks to Mayor’s Health Task Force for spearheading, our sports friends & the Play Equity Fund for doing so much to advance the “transformational power of sports and play” in all communities!  The rain did deter the turnout, but for those who made it, we played in new ways, including our first Bubble Soccer set, thanks to sports friend, Everyone’s A Player #EAP! #letskeepplaying  #teameffort #collaboration #youthsports #healthykids #happykids #PLAYday #yearroundplay #onthefield #offthefield #healthyfamilies #healthycommunities #playequitynow #beyondsoccer ⚽️🧡💙🤸‍♀️🤸

The No-Cost Summer Nights Program... IS BACK in 2023 thanks to DCR!

See the FULL schedule that is still subject to some small changes. Also, please register, as there will be weekly bonus events and activities that will be emailed or sent via WHAT’s APP! See photos from some of last year’s activities!

Every weeknight this summer!

Again, this summer Director of Soccer Development, Chris Marin is committed to keeping kids moving, playing, and engaged at every age. This will include futsal (small-sided soccer) played on the DCR Riverfront Park, soccer at the Pavilion Park, cooking and fitness in Beyond Soccer’s enrichment space, & so much more). We learned that these evening options (in addition to our signature camps above & below) help with family work schedules, and thanks to a repeat Summer Nights grant, evening sessions will be offered to middle and high school youth every day of the week! Other funders like New Balance Foundation and ECCF’s Greater Lawrence Summer Fund also mean the youth ages 4-9 will have multiple play nights and weekend programs!

#TY! This Camp starts ran for 4 days for 70 older youth players!

As in years past, we like to focus on opportunities for older youth who want to take their soccer skills and interests to the next level. We have been able to do that through the Lawrence Sports Leadership Academy with other city sports friends, but that is on hold, currently. Until that comes back, and it will, we are offering a “Beyond” Pre-Season Training Camp for rising 7th-8th graders and high school youth! It will help prepare them for their fall sports season with skill-building, games, nutrition education (in our enrichment space that abuts the field), fitness and other youth development, and mental skill-building support. It costs $15, but if youth agree to volunteer during our busy Lawrence Youth Soccer season, we will waive the cost! It promotes #Leadership-through-sports!

Thanks for being part of our "Beyond" Pre-Season Performance Camp! It was a HUGE success!

Other Past & Soon to be Returning Beyond Summertime Programs

In addition to our largest summer camps-the collaborative Lawrence Sports Leadership Academy & our Annual Soccer & Wellness Academy, Beyond Soccer has run or sponsored the following summertime programs to make sure our kids have consistent opportunities throughout the summer for engagement and healthy activity:

  • Lawrence Travel Soccer Academy
  • Beyond Fit – Visit Health & Wellness
  • Si Se Puede Soccer Clinics, run by our Summer Coach Mentors
  • Lawrence Public School Program Partnerships
  • Girls-in-Sports programs with Esperanza Academy
  • Special group outings
  • Movie Nights
  • 4-Week Crochet night
  • CPR & First Aid Training
  • Job Training and Summer Financial Literacy Programs

3rd Party Summer Camp Partners!

We also partner with the following organizations that generously provide summer camp scholarships for many of our youth to attend camps, both in and outside the Lawrence City limits. These partners have made it possible for 100’s of Beyond Soccer kids to attend summer camps!