Austin Community Soccer and The Rhino Cup Champions League

If you play in the ACSA and you don’t know Alissa Ziemianski, you might actually live under a rock—or maybe you’re just deeply confused and don’t actually play in the ACSA. Alissa, who is capable of rallying a crowd with her voice alone, is the human embodiment of community soccer and she’ll stop at nothing to protect it. Seriously, don’t test her.

But what makes Alissa such an irreplaceable force isn’t just her advocacy; it’s her ability to see how the beautiful game connects us all. So, when I brought her an idea several months ago that united soccer with global outreach, she didn’t flinch. In hindsight, I should’ve known better than to think she’d hesitate.

This summer, Hayworth Athletic was contacted by Marion Worrell, a volunteer with Care for Wild, a rhino sanctuary in Barberton, South Africa. Marion shared the story of the Rhino Cup Champions League (RCCL), an amateur football league formed to engage communities surrounding national parks and wildlife reserves. What started as a conservation initiative to protect rhinos grew into something more: a thriving league now composed of 60 teams of young men and women, playing for their communities while advocating and educating about the protection of rhinos.

But while the RCCL has been growing in numbers, their equipment is a different story. Forty teams were sharing one ball for every two teams, and 20 teams didn’t have a ball at all. Yes, you read that correctly—no ball at all.

With Alissa’s help, the ACSA and Hayworth Athletic pooled resources to send soccer balls to the RCCL. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, but eventually, the balls made it to their homes.

For Hayworth and the RCCL, this collaboration was a win that goes beyond the field. So, to Alissa and the ACSA, a massive thank you. Because of you, soccer players in the RCCL can had a little more opportunity.