A sporting chance

Lukacs is taking her love of the game of soccer and her desire to improve the lives of others and combining them into an innovative fundraising project. The 23-year-old McGill International Development Studies student is leaving for Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in early March and wants to bring 12 sets of soccer uniforms with her.

Lukacs will be working with a non-governmental organization called Coaching for Hope in Burkina Faso. The organization, part of FIFA’s Football for Hope program, sets up coaching clinics where professional soccer coaches from the United Kingdom teach local youth workers the basic tenets of soccer. These local coaches set up their own clinics for youth, where soccer is taught, as well as educational sessions on health issues like HIV. Graduates of these clinics go on to start their own clinics and in turn, educate a new set of youth. “That was what drew me to the organization,” says Lukacs. “It’s really the locals that run everything. It’s a really sustainable model and is sensitive to local needs.”

Lukacs is a life-long fan of soccer, though she prefers to call it by the name most of the world knows it by: football. She even harboured dreams of playing in the English Premiership when she was younger. “I believe in the power of sport,” she says. “Like music, I think sports transcend all boundaries and borders. I think a program like this can be effective in making an impact.”

Lukacs has sought out some help from former coaches and has even contacted the Montreal Impact Soccer Club to see what assistance they might be able to give. Anitra Bostock at the Westmount Sports & Recreation Department has also lent a hand in helping Lukacs with the project. As well, Lukacs has organized a free soccer clinic for girls, age 7 to 11 on March 7 at Centre Greene, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. “Coaching for Hope is hoping to create a soccer league, which is why I’d like to bring the uniforms,” she said. She’s hoping to bring enough for six boys’ kits and six girls’ kits.

Anyone interested in having their daughter attend the clinic can RSVP by emailing Lukacs at sophie.lukas@mail.mcgill.ca. Lukacs has also set up a website to collect donations at www.justgiving.com/sophielukacs.