In Dallas this summer, 38 students from Pleasant Grove elementary schools will walk onto the field at AT&T Stadium alongside FIFA World Cup players as part of a program run by Pleasant Grove Soccer & Sports. The group, along with two other North Texas nonprofits — Puede Network in Oak Cliff and Jubilee Park and Community Center in Fair Park — earned slots to be player escorts during matches at the Dallas Stadium sites. Steve Davis, program director, and local families including Alexis Martinez and students like Luis Lases and Franco Ortega shared their excitement with reporter David Sentendrey about what this moment means for the community.
Organizers say the students were chosen after attending soccer clinics held in February, with selection based on skill, sportsmanship and commitment to nutrition and wellness lessons. The program aims to give kids who work hard in local clinics a chance to step into one of the sport’s biggest stages. Pleasant Grove Soccer & Sports is proud to put working-class kids in front of a global audience and to show that talent and dedication can open doors.
Pleasant Grove S&S won one of three spots in North Texas awarded by FIFA, joining local groups that represent different parts of Dallas. Puede Network and Jubilee Park and Community Center will also bring their own young ambassadors to matches. The inclusion of multiple nonprofits spreads the opportunity across neighborhoods that don’t always get these national moments.
Steve Davis put the opportunity plainly: “This is about much more than soccer,” said Pleasant Grove Soccer & Sports director Steve Davis. The program, he added, tackles a gap where well-connected communities often get the lion’s share of high-profile chances. That line landed with parents and coaches because it frames the escort program as both a reward for the kids and a small corrective to how big events pick their community partners.
Another voice from the group captured the pride on a neighborhood level: “We are so proud that young people from working-class Pleasant Grove, an area often overlooked in Dallas, will have the chance to stand on the World Cup stage. It’s so cool that the Pleasant Grove community is being seen!” That sentiment underscores how meaningful a single televised moment can be for a family, a school and a neighborhood. For many residents, this is visibility that feels overdue.
On the ground, reporter David Sentendrey spoke with students who will step onto the same turf as global stars, and their excitement was obvious. Kids talked about favorite players and what it would mean to march out in front of tens of thousands of fans. For a handful of them, it’s a memory that will shape their relationship with sport for life.
Young participants shared simple, genuine reactions to being chosen. “I love soccer and I want to spend my whole life playing it,” one said, painting a picture of a child who sees the game as a path. That kind of clarity is common in field-level voices: soccer is not just a pastime, it’s identity, routine and aspiration wrapped together. These kids practiced, showed up and earned this chance one clinic drill at a time.
“I like how fun it is,” said Luis Lases, who was selected as part of the program. His short line speaks to the pure joy that drives youth sport participation and the community programs that feed it. When enjoyment meets structure and coaching, you get both development and memories that stick.
Parents are visibly moved by the opportunity. Alexis Martinez says she cried when she learned her son was selected: “I was in tears. I promise you I was in tears. To give my son this opportunity through our community and the soccer camp was amazing, you know?” Her reaction captures how community programs can offer moments that extend beyond wins and losses.
For others, the idea of walking out beside a global superstar is thrilling and a little intimidating. Franco Ortega put it plainly: “I’ll be nervous and excited at the same time because I’ll be with very famous players, and they’re very big.” That mix of nerves and thrill is what makes these experiences formative — they teach kids how to carry themselves on a big stage.
The first FIFA World Cup match in North Texas will kick off June 14 when the Netherlands and Japan meet at Dallas Stadium. For the Pleasant Grove escorts and their families, that match represents the real payoff of months of clinics, drills and outreach. It is a single night, but for the kids chosen, it’s a vivid piece of childhood they’ll tell stories about for years.
Pleasant Grove Soccer & Sports supplied details about the selection and the program’s goals to local outlets and families. The group’s role in connecting young players to high-profile sporting moments shows how local nonprofits can partner with international events to deliver opportunities. For a neighborhood that often flies under the radar, this is one of those rare, bright moments when the national spotlight lands on ordinary kids doing the work.
