Two University of Richmond sophomores have combined their passion for soccer with their love for service to create Kickin’ It Coalition, a club that hosts soccer clinics for autistic children. Kickin’ It Coalition is a club at the University of Richmond that hosts soccer clinics for children with autism that was founded in 2024 by Lauren Shin and Cameron Tyson.
Shin and Tyson, both sophomores at UR, met as lab partners their freshman year. In a mere few months they co-founded a club that has quickly spread in popularity across campus.
Shin has been playing soccer her entire life. During high school, her team participated in a program that paired the players with local children with autism and to play soccer every Saturday.
She wanted to continue working with autistic children, so she shadowed a developmental behavioral specialist in Richmond in the spring of 2024.
“I was able to spend a few hours a week spending time with the kids,” Shin said. “It really just solidified for me that this is something I really enjoy and want to do when I’m older.”
Toward the end of the semester, she had the idea to create a club that could supply autistic children in the area with affordable one-on-one soccer clinics.
Students help a local child learn to play soccer.
Shin knew she wouldn’t be able to do it alone, so she asked her lab partner, Tyson, to join the initiative.
“We’ve always worked well together,” Shin said. “I knew he played soccer and had personal experience that may make him interested.”
Tyson was excited by the proposition and agreed to join.
“My brother is on the spectrum, so I have always been interested in working with kids with autism,” Tyson said.
The pair worked endlessly over the summer to prepare to launch the club, Shin said. They pored over every detail, finalizing everything from scheduling to volunteer pairing plans.
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Shin and Tyson coordinated with the Autism Society for Central Virginia, an organization located in Richmond to put UR’s incipient club in contact with families who were interested in signing up for the program.
Because the club was just beginning, the pair aimed for 10 volunteers to get started. Hoping to lure people in, they advertised the first meeting would have Crumbl cookies.
Much to their surprise, when the meeting started, over 50 people were overflowing out of the small room they booked. After the clinics began, they had to stop accepting volunteers, as the numbers soared over 100.
Their plans continued smoothly, except for a last minute change from Saturdays to Sundays. Sporting events on campus prevent the clinic from running due to security concerns.
The day of the first clinic finally came in October of 2024. Parents arrived with their children in tow.
Each child is paired with two to three volunteers so they can play at their own pace. The goal is for the volunteers to stay with the same child every clinic in order to build a connection.
“It’s so rewarding to see these kids cultivating relationships with these volunteers, and I think it’s rewarding for them as well,” Tyson said.
UR sophomore volunteer Marlo Zambrotta made that connection with the six year-old child she was paired with throughout the clinics.
“He didn’t have any experience coming in, but over time we got to see him improve,” Zambrotta said. “He started out really shy, but he got more comfortable as time went on.”
The club tries to cater to parents as well as the children.
“It’s also really important to us to offer the parents a break. They are able to sit on the sideline and get a chance to get to know each other and rest.”
A child practices their soccer skills.
Kickin’ It Coalition's 20 families spread across the eight clinics they held in the fall. They are aiming to have 30 families sign up for the spring so they can accept more volunteers
The first spring clinic will be March 23, with registration currently underway.
Shin and Cameron said they are excited to start the second season, since they’ve become more comfortable managing the club.
Contact Sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu
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