Our 30th Anniversary

Our History

A legacy program of the 1994 Men’s World Cup, DC SCORES was founded at a pivotal moment in the District’s soccer history. What started in a single classroom at one D.C. neighborhood school has grown into an international network inspiring more than 15,000 young people across 13 cities through the power of soccer, poetry, and service. This is the story of how the poet-athlete movement was born in D.C.

Hero Image

It was the start of the 1994 school year and Julie Kennedy, a D.C. public elementary school teacher, noticed something troubling. When classes let out, the girls in her class had few afterschool opportunities so were left with little to do but hang out outside of the school.

During the previous summer, soccer fever gripped D.C. when the city’s iconic RFK Stadium hosted four Men’s World Cup matches. Kennedy asked girls in her class if they would like to learn the sport that had captured District residents’ imaginations. 

Throughout the fall, more and more girls joined Kennedy’s soccer team, building a close-knit community that allowed them to flourish in a safe environment outside the classroom. As winter drew in and bad weather forced the girls inside, the team pivoted to learning about Kennedy’s other passion: poetry. Soon, they were writing about their hopes and dreams, what they liked about their city, and what they wanted to change. When the team returned after winter break for the spring season, the girls began to work on service projects inspired by their writing that harnessed the power of their teamwork and creativity to positively impact their school community.

Word spread among the teaching community and schools across the District began to adopt Kennedy’s impactful program, bringing soccer, poetry, and service to hundreds and then thousands of kids. With investment from the Soccer ‘94 Foundation — a World Cup Legacy Fund — the SCORES model was expanded in D.C. and later adopted in cities all across the U.S. and Canada under the umbrella of America SCORES.

What began in one D.C. school in 1994 has expanded into an award-winning model that now serves more than 15,000 poet-athletes of all genders in 13 cities in North America. That’s 15,000 youth who are committing to their physical and emotional health, expressing themselves creatively, and using their voices to speak up for their communities. And it all started right here, in D.C.

Programs and Events

Our 30th anniversary kicks off in September 2024! Stay tuned for more information about how we’re marking the occasion with special events, merchandise, collaborations, and more throughout the year.

CTA Image

Have a DC SCORES story to share?

Contact comms@dcscores.org to share your memories, pictures, and videos from 30 years of DC SCORES’ history. You might even see your story on our social media accounts or website!

Alumni Voices

“Poetry is my foundation. I really think I would never have been able to talk the way that I do or advocate for myself and others if I didn’t do poetry. I made my whole life SCORES.”

– Zarea Boyde, DC SCORES Alumna

“I’ll drive by high-schoolers playing soccer together and half of them are in DC SCORES t-shirts. Our legacy is the number of kids out there who we’ve given the opportunity to express themselves, on the field and on the stage.”

– José Granados, DC SCORES Alumnus

“DC SCORES provided me with so many opportunities and now it’s providing other kids with those same opportunities. I can only imagine the places that these young people will go!”

– Laisha Dougherty, DC SCORES Alumna

Our History

1994

1996

1998

1999

2001

2002

2003

2003

2004

2004

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2010

2011

2011

2011

2011

2012

2012

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2017

2018

2018

2018

2019

2019

2019

2019

2020

2020

2020

2021

2022

2022

2022

2022

2023

2023

2023

2023

2024

DC SCORES is founded at Marie Reed Elementary by D.C. public school teacher Julie Kennedy. Kennedy began her after-school program of soccer, poetry, and community service after noticing that girls in her class had fewer extracurricular opportunities than boys.

DC SCORES receives funding for equipment and coaching from the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) in the wake of the 1994 Men’s World Cup. U.S. Soccer stars John Harkes, Jeff Agoos, Cobi Jones, and Alexi Lalas visit D.C. and host a training clinic for DC SCORES, which is reaching 300 poet-athletes at ten schools.

DC SCORES hosts its first-ever citywide poetry slam, inaugurating a series of annual performances that have grown into the largest youth poetry events in the DMV. Note: Photo is from the 2000 Poetry Slam.

DC SCORES’ model debuts in Boston, launching the America SCORES network, which now serves more than 13,000 poet-athletes in 13 cities across North America. A large portion of expansion funding comes from U.S. Soccer as a legacy program of the 1994 Men’s World Cup.

DC SCORES hosts the first-ever SCORE Awards honoring the poet-athletes and community members who have made an outstanding contribution to their teams and neighborhoods.

The Washington Freedom and Starbucks team up with DC SCORES to promote youth poetry events in the District. The Freedom, an inaugural team in the world’s first all-professional women’s soccer league, Women’s United Soccer, hopes to use the partnership to create positive mentors for youth players in the DMV.

Jamboree, DC SCORES’ annual soccer and community festival, is held at Trinity College. The program is serving 21 schools, while the SCORES network has expanded to Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, and San Francisco.

DC SCORES hosts its first-ever Sharks vs Suits corporate soccer tournament fundraiser. The tournament will eventually be renamed SCORES Cup, an event that is held annually to this day.

Read more about the history of SCORES Cup.

DC SCORES celebrates its 10th anniversary. Numerous celebratory events are held throughout the year, including a poetry reading with iconic actor James Earl Jones at Fletcher-Johnson Education Center!

American soccer phenom Freddy Adu hosts a fundraising coaching clinic for DC SCORES at RFK Stadium. The clinic is sponsored by Audi and Condé Nast.

DC SCORES is serving 20 schools in the District. The organization splits its annual poetry slam over two nights to accommodate demand for the event.

DC SCORES launches a middle school program, significantly increasing its impact on young people in D.C. Katrina Owens, who will eventually become DC SCORES’ executive director, is hired to lead the new middle school program.

The U.S. State Department and the Academy for Educational Development host a cultural exchange between DC SCORES poet-athletes and youth coaches from Argentina.

Poet-athletes at Bancroft Elementary School are hosted by Michelle Obama at the White House. Students join the First Lady in the White House Garden to reap the autumn harvest and learn about community green spaces.

DC SCORES and the Volkswagen Group of America win the 2010 Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Youth Partnership Award. The organization is serving more than 750 poet-athletes.

Read the original blog post

Up2Us, a national coalition of sports-based youth development organizations, invites DC SCORES to the White House for an event celebrating a state visit from Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.

Read the original blog post

Tubman Elementary School poet-athlete Luis accompanies President Barack Obama for the signing of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

Read the original blog post

DC SCORES hosts its first-ever alumni soccer tournament.

Read the original blog post

Bancroft Elementary School poet-athletes attend a soccer clinic hosted by U.S. soccer legend Mia Hamm.

DC SCORES and Up2Us host a youth event with professional skateboarder Tony Hawk at D.C. landmark Ben’s Chili Bowl.

Read the original blog post

DC SCORES formalizes its partnership with the community-based adult soccer league nonprofit, District Sports. Today, District Sports donates more than $50,000 every year to DC SCORES’ programming.

Poet-athletes at Brightwood Education Campus join L.A. Galaxy stars including David Beckham and Landon Donovan for an official White House ceremony honoring the club’s MLS championship win.

Watch a video of the event’s Q&A.

In partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation, DC SCORES expands to 15 new schools.

Read the original blog post

Representatives from Manchester City F.C. and the United Arab Emirates government join poet-athletes at Marie Reed Elementary School to celebrate the beginning of construction on a new soccer field. The new turf field was opened in the fall of 2013 at Marie Reed, the school where DC SCORES was founded in 1994.

DC SCORES caps off its summer camp with visits from players from Inter Milan and Manchester United ahead of a friendly match between the two teams at FedEx Field.

Read the original blog post

The D.C. United Foundation’s United Soccer Club consolidates with DC SCORES to significantly enhance both organizations’ work with youth in the District. The merger created an Official Community Partnership between the MLS club and DC SCORES that continues to this day.

Learn more

DC SCORES debuts the City Soccer League, a Wednesday gameday hosted in partnership with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. The league expands DC SCORES programs to students beyond participants in the 3rd through 8th grades.

The inaugural Our Words Our City is held at Busboys and Poets. Our Words Our City, DC SCORES’ premier youth poetry showcase, is the culmination of an enhanced poetry program for poet-athletes who are passionate about writing and performing.

View the Photos

DC SCORES wins the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s Board Leadership and Advancement in Management awards.

Read More

DC SCORES, D.C. United, and Enlightenment Capital host the first-ever One Night One Goal gala at Audi Field, giving attendees a first look at the new D.C. soccer stadium.

View the Photos

Nine DC SCORES alumnae are selected to represent the United States at the Street Child World Cup in Moscow, Russia. All of the girls participating play soccer with the Open Goal Project, a partner of DC SCORES that enables young people from all backgrounds to play elite travel soccer.

Read More

DC SCORES launches the Junior SCORES program. The new program opens DC SCORES to 1st and 2nd graders, equipping them with the teamwork skills that are the foundation of the SCORES model.

DC SCORES celebrates its 25th anniversary and names professional soccer stars Johanna Lohmann and Bill Hamid as the organization’s ambassadors.

Read More

First and second-grade poet-athletes participate in the first-ever Junior Jamboree at Audi Field.

View the Photos

DC SCORES partners with the Public Charter School Athletic Association to create a new, District-wide middle school soccer league. The expansion grows DC SCORES’ middle school league from 28 to 42 D.C. public and public charter schools.

Volkswagen donates its Women’s World Cup advertising space to America SCORES. The 30-second ad features poet-athletes from Truesdell Elementary School and is set to an original poem by DC SCORES staff member Charity Blackwell.

Watch the ad

In celebration of DC SCORES’ 25th anniversary, Our Words Our City features performances from poet-athletes representing different stages of the organization’s history.

View the Photos

DC SCORES kicks off its SCORES At Home program with the #AtHomePoetryChallenge with Joanna Lohmann. In the wake of COVID-19 stay-at-home rules, SCORES At Home offers virtual activities and guest talks from luminaries in poetry and soccer, including writers such as Jason Reynolds and D.C.Youth Poet Laureates Marjan Naderi, MalPractice and Kenneth Carroll, and professional soccer players Bill Hamid and Staci Wilson.

DC SCORES launches an official community partnership with the Washington Spirit. The NWSL club supports SCORES At Home programming and pledges to work with DC SCORES to increase opportunities for girls across the DMV to play soccer.

Read More

Bethesda Soccer Club and DC SCORES form an official community soccer club, cementing ties with one of the premier elite youth soccer clubs in the region.

The Washington Spirit features DC SCORES on the front of their 2022 Challenge Cup jerseys. A number of jerseys are auctioned to raise funds for DC SCORES’ soccer, poetry, and service-learning projects.

Read More

Poet-athletes join F.C. Bayern Munich players at training at Audi Field. DC SCORES alumni Jaquan and DeAndre perform their original poetry for one of the team’s stars, Alphonso Davies.

Watch a Clip

In-person DC SCORES poetry slams return after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More

DC SCORES’ partners Artemis Ward create an award-winning commercial for America SCORES that air’s during the Men’s World Cup. The ad features DC SCORES poet-athletes, coaches, and locations.

Watch the ad

DC SCORES presents the inaugural Poet-Athlete Award to award-winning writer and former D1 soccer player Clint Smith. The award is presented annually to recipients who embody the ethos of DC SCORES poet-athletes.

Read More

DC SCORES celebrates the 20th anniversary of SCORES Cup with a record-breaking fundraising tournament and exclusive commemorative jerseys.

Read More

Poet-athletes are front and center as the All-Star Game comes to Audi Field. With D.C. United, DC SCORES is represented at community days, the All-Stars Skills Challenge, and the All-Star game against Arsenal F.C. DC SCORES receives a $25,000 check as the All-Stars’ nonprofit of choice.

Read More

The U.S. embassies of Australia and New Zealand host a soccer and poetry-themed “sausage sizzle” at DC SCORES’ summer to honor their status as host nations of the Women’s World Cup.

Read More

DC SCORES receives a $2 million gift from MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving Open Call, the largest-ever single donation in DC SCORES’ history.

Read More

Our Future

We aim to deliver on a bold promise: to make DC SCORES available to every child in the District who needs us. Our goal is to transform D.C. into a Poet-Athlete City by clearing our waitlist of 14 schools, bringing the program to every Title 1 middle school in the city, and to every elementary school feeding into those Title 1 middle schools. By creating pipelines for poet-athletes to experience our program from 1st to 8th grade, we can raise a new generation of changemakers in our city who are physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy.

To achieve our vision of becoming a Poet-Athlete City, we need to bring a movement of people along with us. Will you help us reach more young people waiting for DC SCORES? Become a recurring donor today and help us build a Poet-Athlete City here in D.C.