Community Corner
Soccer Lovers Will Play Round the Clock to Fight AIDS
The inaugural 24 Hours of Barefoot Soccer raised about $10,000 to educate African children about AIDS, and organizers hope this year's even will generate even more.
Round-the-clock soccer is a longtime fantasy for the sport’s enthusiasts. Many take the name of the sportswear company Adidas, a leading soccer equipment maker, as an acronym for “all day I dream about soccer” (though its true origin is the name of founder Adi Dassler). This Friday and Saturday, local soccer lovers really will dream about—and play—the beautiful game all day.
For the second year in a row, Hunnewell Field will host 24 Hours of Barefoot Soccer, a fundraiser whose proceeds help fight AIDS in Africa. Players ranging from fourth graders to adults will kick off their cleats—in solidarity with African children who can’t afford footwear—and kick the ball from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Participants will play in shifts, and most will get in a little sleep, but a few hardcore folks, including organizer Peter Diana, won’t rest.
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“The energy pretty much carries you all the way through,” Diana said. “I stayed up all 24 hours last year and plan to do it again. There was a lot of coffee involved. Once the sun comes up again, it really energizes you.”
Diana said the marathon was inspired by his son Owen, now 16 and a junior on the Wellesley High soccer team.
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“He was obsessed with soccer—in a good way,” Diana said. “And he had a particular interest in African soccer.”
Owen Diana's social consciousness proved contagious: Raider teammates have stepped up to not only take part but also help coordinate 24 Hours of Barefoot Soccer.
"I share the same passion for soccer that Owen has," said Lee Wickham, also a junior. "(The Dianas) came to me with the idea, and I loved it. I was excited to transmit my love of soccer into something that can help others."
The Wellesley event partners with a Vermont-based organization called Grassroot Soccer, which uses the game as a tool to teach AIDS prevention to African children. The raised about $10,000, according to Diana, enough to pay for about 400 kids’ yearlong education with Grassroot Soccer.
The event is ahead of last year’s registration pace, Diana said, and he hopes better weather—Hurricane Earl caused a postponement last summer—will draw record numbers.
The list of scheduled players includes New England Revolution midfielder and Wellesley native Chris Tierney, and Boston Breakers midfielder Leslie Osborne.
Interested players can register online or on-site Friday evening. Games will feature co-ed teams of three to five players.
