Dear Friends,
As I write this letter in a Men’s World Cup year, soccer’s power to captivate communities across every corner of the globe is at the top of my mind.
Thinking about this unique aspect of the beautiful game – and the potential it holds as a force for good – is the same feeling I had when I founded Grassroot Soccer (GRS) in Zimbabwe nearly 25 years ago. It’s also what I feel every day when I talk to Coaches, colleagues, partners, supporters, and community members who are all critical to GRS’s work.
At GRS, we equip young people with the health knowledge, life skills, and access to services they need to overcome their most pressing challenges and thrive – using the game of soccer as a powerful engagement and teaching tool. Through our evidence-based “SKILLZ” programs, our team of trained game-changing Coaches serve as critical mentors for young people and use soccer games and metaphors to teach them life-saving health information in a way that is fun, active, engaging, and memorable.
Our work is critical right now. In sub-Saharan Africa – the highest-need part of the world where GRS focuses our efforts – adolescents face 6x the risk of death as their peers in high-income countries. Girls there are disproportionately impacted, too. Over half have an unmet need for contraception, and girls account for 85% of new HIV infections among 15–19-year-olds in the region.
Further, globally we are experiencing a mental health crisis among adolescents. An estimated 1 in 4 adolescents across the world experience a mental health challenge. In the U.S., the prevalence of diagnosed mental health conditions among adolescents increased 35 percent in the past decade – including a 61 percent increase in diagnosed anxiety. (That’s why, on the occasion of the 2026 Men’s World Cup, we’re bringing our proven approach to the U.S. for the first time to support young people’s mental health.)
In 2025, GRS continued to grow our partnerships to scale the reach of our programs, hone our approach through rigorous research and evaluation, and – most importantly – make a real, lasting impact in the lives of more than 2.3 million young people through our in-person and digital SKILLZ programs.
I invite you to read about our accomplishments in 2025 in the pages of this Annual Report.
At GRS, our vision is that all young people thrive and develop into healthy adults – a vision now threatened by a global health funding landscape that has grown more uncertain, not less. On the ground, this has meant disrupted clinics, paused services, and real uncertainty for the young people we serve. According to a new Lancet Global Health study, continued cuts to global health aid could lead to millions of additional preventable deaths by 2030 – with sub-Saharan Africa facing the greatest risk of any region.
In this environment, the need for our work has never been greater. That’s why we’re laser-focused on reaching as many young people as possible while driving the deepest impact on their health outcomes.
When I look at all our team accomplished in 2025 – the measurable impact of our programs, the innovative ways we adapted in a shifting environment, and the powerful stories of change I hear every day – I remain filled with hope.
I’m also filled with hope when I think of our supporters, partners, advocates, and champions who make up our global community and make our work possible. Thank you for standing with us to change the lives of adolescents at a time when they need our support most.
With appreciation,
Thomas S. Clark, MD
CEO & Founder