Soccer is a game that brings people from all over the world together. This was on display during the pre-game activities before the Copa América first round-match between Uruguay and Bolivia at MetLife Stadium.
20 coaches, players, and parents from New Jersey Youth Soccer (NJYS) were led by Cassidy Gabriel, Eastern USA Senior Project Lead from the Centre for Sport & Human Rights (CSHR), through a “walkshop” around the stadium to experience the event and share feedback about what they saw and experienced. A walkshop is a moving conversation about how people – in this case, young people in particular – are experiencing a place at a particular moment in time. This experience was developed in partnership between CSHR and Maximum City as part of the Generation 2026 initiative, and larger efforts to center youth participation and experiences in the context of mega-sporting events, with a focus on the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup and its host venues. During the experience, Ms. Gabriel and the team collected feedback specifically from the teenagers’ point of view on what they experienced before the game. This feedback will be used to develop ideas and opportunities for programming during the World Cup in 2026.
The sea of fans in attendance for the match represented their countries with pride. From a Uruguayan fan with blue and white painted all over, to a Bolivian fan with a vibrantly decorated mask, to multiple fans sporting jerseys from their own teams in the Copa América tournament – everywhere one looked around the pre-game activities, there was something on display. Despite the differences in the teams that the fans supported, a festive environment resonated throughout as many came together to celebrate their countries by eating and singing in preparation to watch the great game of soccer.
“The atmosphere surrounding the game was alive and contagious as soon as you stepped out of the car into the parking lot,” said siblings Alexandra and Justin Farina and Vito Iacoviello, who participated in the experience. “There were so many people tailgating on the outskirts with their team tents, and as you moved closer to the event, the fans got even denser.”
Ms. Gabriel asked questions and collected feedback from the group throughout the pre-game walkshop. Following the walkshop, thanks to the support of the FIFA World Cup 26 New York New Jersey Host Committee, who provided tickets to the match, the group went into the stadium and sat together to watch an exciting match that saw Uruguay win 5-0.
NJ Youth Soccer would like to thank the Centre for Sport & Human Rights for this opportunity, and we look forward to working with them again soon.