Our goal with MYOBD is to teach not only the love of the game and the skills needed to play it, but also bigger life lessons like character, leadership and service. This day was created to get young players and students who have so much to think about how lucky they are to have what they have. The day was simply created to teach kids to be thankful.
The day revolves around perspective and uses a soccer ball to allow us to experience the game in a new light. Kids go barefoot and play with the imperfect and misshapen soccer balls that themselves and their friends create. The process of making the ball is just as important, if not more important, than the actual scoring of goals on the day of the event. Part of the beauty of the event is helping start a conversation between players and parents as well as coaches and players about the hard issues going on in life.
The event grew and grew and eventually the founders established it as an official 501c3 non profit in order to reach more kids and expand the impact.
Hundreds of soccer clubs and schools now participate in this MYOBD event and many donate to MYOBD in order to support their soccer field projects.
The first ever “Make Your Own Ball Day” was held in September of 2012 with a soccer club in Indiana.