Seattle: Where the #IAmSomebody Tour began

The Street Child World Cup in Mexico City was never meant to be the end of the story. A few weeks later, the #IAmSomebody Tour began in Seattle, and the first people we wanted to put at its centre were Indigenous young people from Canada and the USA.

Starting with the community

The Tour opened with a three-day programme celebrating football, culture and community. It was a deliberate choice. With the world's attention turning to the FIFA World Cup, we wanted to start by making space for young people to connect, celebrate their identities and feel part of football's biggest global moment.

Activities took place at the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Powwow grounds and on the Bank of America pitches in Tacoma. Teams joined from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, the Notah Begay Foundation and the National Indigenous Football Association, giving young people the chance to compete, meet one another and take pride in who they are.

Building a legacy through coaching

Tournaments end. Skills stay. So alongside the football, the Tour invested in the people who will keep using the game to support young people long after we've left.

In partnership with the U.S. Soccer Forward Foundation, we ran a coaching clinic for team coaches and aspiring young coaches, designed to build their leadership, coaching skills and confidence. Everyone who attended took those skills straight back into their own teams and communities.

Why it matters

Visibility matters, but so does what's left behind once the cameras move on. In Seattle, the legacy was a group of coaches and young leaders better equipped to keep young people playing, learning and leading.