Please help make soccer available once the community recovers so players can return.

As so many of our local, North Carolina, and eastern United States soccer friends are aware, The Western North Carolina Mountains, our home, was devastated by the catastrophic floods of Hurricane Helene. Many of you have reached out asking how to help ABYSA/HFC and our community during this time of dire emergency, and moving forward.

Currently, all community resources are going to search and rescue, recovering the bodies of those of those who perished, and meeting the basic needs of hundreds of thousands without water, electricity, and basic communication capabilities. Much of the infrastructure, especially that for delivering safe water to homes, will not happen quickly. While thinking about when we will play soccer again and what that will require is not our immediate concern, we know that returning to some level of normalcy and getting our kids on the field in some capacity, will soon become a priority.

As our community recovers and rebuilds, sports programs will continue to play an important role in the health and welfare of our children. At the time of the storm, we had 4,738 youth players registered for fall recreation and competitive soccer programs. While we do not know the exact way forward for our vibrant and cherished soccer community, we do know there is a path and that Asheville Buncombe Youth Soccer Association/ Highland Football Club will find it.

We pride ourselves on making soccer accessible to children regardless of their family’s financial resources. We have always been able to fund this objective with a need based financial aid program that has never turned a player away because the program’s resources were depleted. We are worried that the needs of those children in our program whose families have been most severely impacted, and will need to rebuild their lives, and in too many cases their homes or careers, will exceed existing revenue sources for our financial aid program.

It is for this cause that we ask you to consider a contribution to ABYSA/HFC Financial Aid Program. We are a 501 c 3 Not for Profit and donations are tax deductible. Donations can also be made by check and mailed to ABYSA, PO Box 895, Asheville, NC 28802.

ABYSA+HeleneRelief

By Asheville Buncombe Youth Soccer Association Inc

ABYSA+HeleneRelief

Please help make soccer available once the community recovers so players can return.