Winning Spirit Sports started its registration for their first youth soccer league in the Cobb County area on June 13th. Teams are forming for children ages 5 to 12 and offer co-ed and individual boy/girl teams, ages 9-12. They’ll have a 10- week soccer season, with the first game being played on August 9th and a championship game on October 25, 2008. Games are tentatively set to be played at Barber Middle School in Acworth, GA.

Though there are other soccer leagues that are available within the Cobb County area, Winning Spirit Sports Executive Director, David Kelly Sr. states that their organization takes a different approach that varies from other soccer and sports leagues. “Winning Spirit Sports is not only for kids to play soccer, but also to learn the importance of sportsmanship and teamwork, while infusing community involvement and educational initiatives within our local schools.”

WSS has already started with their commitment to local schools and businesses throughout the Cobb County area. Partnering with businesses such as Great Expressions Dental Centers, EmbroidMe of Kennesaw, Anne Parke Photography, Steve’s Painting and a variety of other current and potential sponsors, WSS will use sponsorship dollars for school initiatives and educational programs. Programs that WSS will offer for 2008 will include Good Samaritan Anti-Bullying Programs, PTSA membership drives, Sources of Strength Suicide Prevention, free tutoring programs and a host of other community initiatives. They will also team up with the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream for scholarship programs and have reached out to the Atlanta Silverbacks for reading programs and book drives in elementary and intermediate schools.

WSS is made up of parents, churches, community leaders and local businesses that wanted to not only have a great league for our local children, but wanted the opportunity to further support our local schools and businesses. WSS has partnered with It’s Cool To Be Smart to act as their fiscal agent. “It is a great partnership with Winning Spirit Sports,” states Curtis Benjamin, the Executive Director of It’s Cool to Be Smart. “With our organization partnering with WSS, we have the opportunity to reach out to professional sports teams and have an arm that will be able to facilitate athletes within the community and schools. It’s Cool To Be Smart is an educational campaign that focuses on high school girls to help with college scholarships and costs of higher education. Since it’s inception in 1997, ICTBS has worked with YMCA’s and a variety of celebrities to raise funds for scholarships, from Gospel Duo Mary Mary, R&B Grammy Award winner Alicia Keyes, Pop Singer/Actress Jessica Simpson and many others.

To learn more about Winning Spirit Sports and It’s Cool To Be Smart, visit them online at www.WinningSpiritSports.org and www.ItsCoolToBeSmart.org respectively.