Leadership
DAVID SYKES, Co-founder and Director
David is an experienced soccer coach with coaching qualifications from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the US Soccer Federation and the English Football Association. He worked as a youth soccer coach with Manhattan Soccer Club for a number of years and was previously director of club soccer for the Harlem based after-school program New York Scores.
David has always been interested in soccer’s potential for social impact and has spent time in a number of African countries working for UK based charity Tackle Africa, an organization which utilizes the popularity of soccer to deliver HIV/AIDS awareness messages to at risk communities.
In 2009, seeing the challenges facing his own community, David founded the Uptown Soccer Academy. Uptown Soccer was established to not only provide soccer playing opportunities for underserved youth in Washington Heights and Inwood, but as a platform for addressing social issues – specifically childhood obesity and the summer learning gap. With his experience of international sports based social programs and his connections to the New York soccer community David was quickly able to raise funds, recruit participants and begin implementing the program. David continues to work as the organization’s director.
CYNTHIA M. CARRION, Co-founder and Director
Cynthia Carrion brings great enthusiasm, passion and a commitment to youth development, the Washington Heights/ Inwood community and to Uptown Soccer Academy. Cynthia's career has focused on improving the harsh realities that disadvantaged youth face on a local, national and international level. For the past ten years she has been involved in community and youth development as an organizer, educator, advocate, fundraiser, filmmaker and soccer coach. Cynthia's roots in the community run deep.
David is an experienced soccer coach with coaching qualifications from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the US Soccer Federation and the English Football Association. He worked as a youth soccer coach with Manhattan Soccer Club for a number of years and was previously director of club soccer for the Harlem based after-school program New York Scores.
David has always been interested in soccer’s potential for social impact and has spent time in a number of African countries working for UK based charity Tackle Africa, an organization which utilizes the popularity of soccer to deliver HIV/AIDS awareness messages to at risk communities.
In 2009, seeing the challenges facing his own community, David founded the Uptown Soccer Academy. Uptown Soccer was established to not only provide soccer playing opportunities for underserved youth in Washington Heights and Inwood, but as a platform for addressing social issues – specifically childhood obesity and the summer learning gap. With his experience of international sports based social programs and his connections to the New York soccer community David was quickly able to raise funds, recruit participants and begin implementing the program. David continues to work as the organization’s director.
CYNTHIA M. CARRION, Co-founder and Director
Cynthia Carrion brings great enthusiasm, passion and a commitment to youth development, the Washington Heights/ Inwood community and to Uptown Soccer Academy. Cynthia's career has focused on improving the harsh realities that disadvantaged youth face on a local, national and international level. For the past ten years she has been involved in community and youth development as an organizer, educator, advocate, fundraiser, filmmaker and soccer coach. Cynthia's roots in the community run deep.