We’re excited to tell you about Cincy SC’s Jack Owens Memorial Buddy Program!

Jack was a Cincy SC player from 2017-21 and his passing led us to question what Cincy SC could do to create more connections for our players. Studies show that youth mentorship programs lead to better attitudes, increased self-confidence, exposure to different perspectives, stronger communication skills, and improved goal-setting for mentors and mentees. All good things!

We’ve paired Big Buddies with Little Buddies of the same gender, typically separated by about 3 years. Our oldest players are Bigs, our youngest are Littles, and our middle-age players are both. We didn’t do strict team-to-team match ups because the numbers don’t work, but many of your teammates will have buddies on the same teams.

On 3/31/23 we sent out emails with 1,061 matches! This program is just intended to help players feel more connected. Other than sending the short About Me info to your matches, there’s no time commitment required. Having that connection to a younger or older player just might make a big difference to someone’s life someday.

Ways to Connect

You can use the information your received to facilitate a meet up if you want. You could create a card or a goodie bag and take a look at the team calendar and see if you’ll cross paths at training or have a game. Buddies could play FIFA together online. Big Buddies could pass down some jerseys or cleats they’ve outgrown. Or come up with your own way to connect. One thing’s for sure: Buddies should definitely plan to cheer each other on at The EPIC Cup VII!

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