ABILENE - The ACU soccer program will be going on an international mission trip to Italy and France during Spring Break of 2025. ACU will be partnering with WorldStrides, which will set an itinerary for players and staff for an 8 day trip filled with mission work, church services, student-athlete experiences, and hosting soccer clinics within communities.
The Wildcats will be in Italy and France from March 8th-16th. Each member of the soccer program will serve in missions work with Global Ambassadors of Sports, teaching kids the love of soccer through interacting and glorifying God. This experience will also include the opportunity to attend a professional soccer match, view another professional stadium, and site seeing. The partnership with Global Ambassadors of Sports will allow for the program to teach and host soccer clinics for children in communities that may not be reached otherwise. The goal of this mission trip is to serve others and spread the love of the game of soccer to others all the while maintaining Service, Excellence, and Discipline.
"Our ACU Soccer's Mission is to pursue excellence in service to God and others," said head coach Stephen Salas. "We aim for each member on our team to be comfortable living outside of their comfort zone because that's where growth and transformation happens."
ACU Soccer is blessed to be able to travel internationally to spread the word of God while also gaining new world experiences. To fulfill this mission, the team's activities include:
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Chapel/Church Time: Glorifying God and attending different Churches in Italy and France.
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Community Outreach: Involvement with teaching kids soccer and spreading the gospel as we do it. Allowing the kids to find joy in the game that brought us to ACU.
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Professional Experience: Touring stadiums, AC Milan and Juventus, and experiencing a professional European game.
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Life Skills: Gaining new world experience. Experiences different cultures and churches while also glorifying God.
"This mission trip has been a vision of mine for our ACU Soccer Program," said Salas. "To impact the nation for His glory and serving others will be a tremendous endeavor.Our trip will be life changing for our student-athletes and those they build relationships with. The impact this trip will have on their lives will be profound, as I still remember each of my missions trips. To have the opportunity to bring our soccer student-athletes abroad is many prayers answered."
Continually giving has helped fund our international mission trip, but the soccer program is still working to obtain funding to cover remaining expenses. Each player is individually funding their own trip so any donations or funds promoting this trip would be a blessing. You can donate to each player through the utilization of this link.
Help send our girls and staff by sponsoring a player or donating to the trip's general fund.
The soccer team believes this mission trip will not only transform the lives of the children they serve, but also shape the future of ACU's players and coaches by fostering a deeper sense of community, service, and commitment.
