By Lily Mitchell Managing Editor
Mira Costa alumnus Billy Hansen founded Soccer Is For All (SIFA), a foundation that aims to mentor underprivileged athletes as young as 11 years old, in July of 2022. Using his fluency in Spanish, Hansen scouted inner city recreation leagues to give under-served youth the opportunity to play club soccer at a more competitive level. Not only does he aim to improve their skills on the field, but he works to enhance the girls’ self confidence in school as well.
Hansen started coaching at the Beach Futbol Club ten years ago and personally sponsored two girls. Soon enough, Hansen was mentoring over 40 underprivileged athletes after he realized the need to help out the multitude of kids who cannot afford playing on a club team. SIFA recruits and coaches student athletes from low income communities, sponsoring them and guiding them on the path to college.
“Sponsoring means I am taking care of partial payment for each athlete,” said Hansen. “Additionally, the club teams are extremely generous with scholarships. When it comes to mentoring, I focus on informing the girls’ families on how club soccer can benefit their daughters in a multitude of ways.”
Hansen recruits girls to play for his team at Beach FC where he and two assistant coaches, Kiyomi Mitsuda and Stephanie Banuelos, hold training sessions in Redondo Beach. Many girls have advanced to the highest club level after playing with Hansen. Additionally, in 2022, eight of his players became first generation college students.
According to Hansen, once the girls leave Beach FC, the financial requirements are in their hands. However, Hansen still stays connected with his players.
“I want to be able to grow our foundation, grow our cause, and break these socioeconomic barriers,” said Hansen. “Hopefully more people will see the need for kids to be involved in the club level who otherwise cannot afford it. SIFA is about giving this demographic of kids access to the opportunities club soccer offers.”
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