Thank you for your interest in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions, concerns or ideas you would like to share. 

WHAT IS DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION?

Diversity: The variety of personal experiences that forms one’s values and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. Such differences include race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status.

Equity: The guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of marginalized groups.

Inclusion: The act of creating environments in which any individual or group can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. An inclusive climate embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions so that all people can fully participate and actively contribute.

Our Vision

Our Purpose

Our Scope of Responsibility

• Provide guidance and feedback to parties assigned by the Board of Directors to develop new SPSC  Mission, Vision and Values statements to explicitly address diversity, equity and inclusion. The committee recognizes that the Club currently does not have a Vision statement, but highly recommends it create one to help communicate its big picture ideas to its membership and the local soccer community.

• Help guide and develop  revisions and/or addenda to the SPSC Code of Conduct to include a No Tolerance policy specifically for racism and other forms of bigotry (based on sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, etc.) similar to its No Tolerance policy for harassing referees. Because SPSC references both MAYSA and WYSA policies in its Code of Conduct, the committee shall try to engage representatives from those organizations in the process.  

• Help SPSC  communicate clear, timely messages against racism and bigotry to its membership and the greater soccer and sports communities. Forms of communications may include but not be limited to: letters to the Club membership; discussion forums, publication and sharing of resources for players, families and coaches; and signs and/or banners promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

• Research and promote positive cultural awareness topics to the Club membership, coaches, members of the Board of Directors, and staff.

• Help the Club maximize access to soccer. Explore the question: how well does the Club membership relate to our community demographics? Explore pricing, discounts and other strategies for SPSC to be more inclusive for children of color and/or economically disadvantaged families. Explore partnerships with other youth organizations to help remove barriers between the youth of our community and access to soccer.

Leadership  

Membership

The DEI Committee shall strive to represent the diversity of the greater Sun Prairie community, with a specific focus to engage people of color, women, members of various ethnic or religious groups, and members of the LGBQT community among the Committee’s discussion forums, membership and leadership, in accordance with the Committee’s vision statement.

Qualified DEI Committee members shall have a passion for the Committee’s purpose, a collaborative and cooperative spirit, and a willingness to commit their time and talents to Committee meetings and tasks. New members to the Committee shall be approved by the Committee.

Thank you to all the SPSC members who participated in our DEI Survey and those who joined us for our very first DEI Member Forum on November 7th. We received some incredibly useful feedback and ideas that we will continue to discuss and will help shape the recommendations our DEI Committee will make to our Board of Directors in the future. Here is a quick summary of the ideas most discussed:

Price:  The actual cost of soccer and other youth sports continues to be a barrier for families in our community. Beyond the upfront costs of tryouts and registration, the unforeseen costs of uniforms, equipment, travel, tournament fees, and more can put families under serious financial stress. 

Transportation:  Transportation can be a significant barrier,  especially for those families with multiple children, a single care-giver, or care-givers who work evenings and/or weekends. 

Schedules:  Because practice and game schedules are completely unknown when registering, choosing to register for soccer requires families to simply hope that soccer will align with fixed schedules for work and other activities. For those families who struggle with price and transportation, investing in this activity becomes a risk.

Registration and Communication: Reliance upon online technology can make registration and team communication a challenge for families with limited access to or familiarity with technology. Language can also pose a barrier to families, from outreach and registration to team communication.

The DEI Challenge:  We discussed the importance of making soccer accessible to and inclusive of all the youth within our community. We reaffirmed that the members of our DEI Committee and our Board of Directors are committed to these important volunteer efforts, and we are very pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response we have received from our Club members, MAYSA, game officials and others in our community in support of the DEI mission. We even added a new member to our DEI Committee. Welcome Brandy Richer!

Next Steps: We hope to host another member forum very soon so we can start tackling some of these issues together. Stay tuned!

Are you interested in helping us make a difference for kids in our community by making soccer more accessible and inclusive? Join our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. You can email our DEI Committee Chair, Hady Diallo using the link below.

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Jason Starke

jason.starke@sunprairiesoccer.com