Seattle's SCORES Cup Turns Corporate Rivalry into Youth Opportunity

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Featured Focus: Partnerships for Good, Community Programs, Youth Development

Seattle's corporate squads lace up for more than just bragging rights at the annual SCORES Cup. This high-energy, annual charity soccer tournament channels workplace competition directly into community impact, funding vital youth programs. Here’s the play-by-play: 

• The Tournament Vibe: It’s a 6v6 coed showdown where Seattle companies field teams—from seasoned players to office rookies—battling for the cup. More than 20 local firms hit the pitch in 2024, representing their brands and rallying coworkers for a cause.  

• The Real Goal: Every entry fee and sponsorship dollar fuels America SCORES Seattle's free after-school programs, which uniquely blend soccer with literacy and poetry workshops, targeting underserved youth in King County's Title I schools.  

• The Impact Scoreboard: The 2024 Seattle event netted over $50,000 for local community programs. Nationally, the SCORES Cup series pulls in an average of $1.5 million yearly, empowering 20,000 young poet-athletes across North America. Big names like Deloitte, Starbucks, and Salesforce are already part of this legacy. 

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Whey We Love It

While SCORES is a national program, having regionalized initiatives like this one in Seattle can go a long way toward making an issue or a cause feel more relevant to the immediate community. Not only does the prospect of friendly local competition make it more enticing for Seattle-based companies and their employees to join in, but it also creates stories of local impact that can keep fueling participation year after year. (For another example of a competition benefiting local orgs, check out the Giving Bowl in DL 70.) 

It’s a unique opportunity to blend team-building, corporate social responsibility, and community engagement, all with the goal of advancing educational opportunities for area youth.

Your Next Play:

Creating new programs for your own local community is fantastic. But, partnering with or developing a local version of a national event or initiative can also be a powerful — and efficient — way to make an impact. As you think about planning your activation calendar half of the year, spend some time researching existing opportunities in your particular issue space to see if you can help amplify, and expand, the great work that’s already being done.

Related Resources:

SCORES National All about the organization’s mission of bringing together soccer, poetry, and service for youth development.

Seattle SCORES Coverage A local news story on how SCORES empowers elementary schools to support the mind, body, and soul of student athletes.

Boston SCORES Their mission: inspiring youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world.

Starfire Sports Another nonprofit providing youth/adult soccer programs, but with a tie to STEM education.

Sounders’ Impact Official site of Seattle’s MLS team, which runs a variety of programs for community and youth impact.

Benefits of Youth Sports A UCSD article discussing the social-emotional skill development that comes from kids participating in sports.