A Letter from our Executive Director

Dear community members,

It is my distinct honor to serve as the Executive Director of the 501c3 non-profit, the Bridges United Foundation (formerly Ballard FC Foundation). Our mission is to support young people in our community, focusing our resources and time in southern parts of King County, to provide free access to soccer, whether that be in the form of soccer camps, clinics, or other physical activities.

We recognize that soccer is a powerful tool to unite people -- particularly young people -- to play a game and enjoy a universal language, no matter their background. 

Our overarching mission is to help young people develop community and a sense of belonging. Statistics from King County show that youth play rates are low, with fewer than 1 in 4 kids getting the recommended 60 minutes of play they need each day to develop and grow. Through our programming and Foundation's work, we seek to actively influence these metrics by providing approachable, community centric programming, often with partner organizations already involved in their local neighborhoods, as we feel strongly that they know their communities best. And our programs are always free to participants and always will be. 

A new initiative in our work is to better support girls and young women in their access to play. Local studies through the county have shown that play rates for girls are at a historic low and we are laser-focused as an organization to do our part to reverse these trends and empower femme players to develop and grow. 

We are also thrilled as an organization to partner with our amazing first teams: Ballard FC (men's) and Salmon Bay FC (women's). Our recent name change is a reflection of our commitment to these organizations, particularly our new women's side and the need here to boost equity in sport, now more than ever.

If you have questions about our work or want to get involved, please fill out the contact form on our homepage or email us directly at freeclinics@goballardfc.com - we can't wait to work together to make our community stronger.

In community,

Camden Francis