Playing it back

The Gjøa mission is to develop both players and people.

Inspired by our trips to the Norway Cup, and the deep cultural commitment to community service we discovered there, we began our ‘Playing it Back’ program in 2018 to instill Giving Back as a core value for our club.

Our Playing it Back program is designed as a team-building, in-person community service project for our youth players. Every soccer year, travel teams participate in both a charitable fundraising event and a community day of service as a group. It’s our goal to promote team building and camaraderie outside of soccer, as well as empathy, charity, and a sense of community within each player.

Academy 11 Ghana

Based in Accra, Ghana, Academy 11 is Gjøa’s sister club!

Gjøa has been collecting donations and uniforms for Ghanian charities since 2013, but in 2020 an official partnership was formed with Academy 11 to support their mission of “Education, Football, and Opportunity” for underprivileged youth in Accra.

Academy 11 is now the primary beneficiary of our ‘Playing it Back’ fundraising program, and we are very proud to support their work. Learn more about them here.

financial aid

For over 100 years, the Gjøa philosophy has been to provide instruction and support to as many soccer-loving young people as possible, regardless of their financial circumstances.

In just the last few years, more than 200 players have received financial assistance, but we aspire to grow that number threefold and to continue to make diversity a priority. If you are able to help us Give Back by making a contribution to our Scholarship Fund, it will go a long way to help children who have a passion for the sport. All contributions are tax-deductible.

Make a tax-deductible donation