Real Lansing FC

We love to see that soccer ball on the flyer!

Looking forward to another year of learning in the classrooms and on the soccer fields.

⚽Every move must have a purpose - on the soccer field or on the chess board♟️

Our Summer SCORE program wrapped up today, aptly on International Youth Day. We finished strong with over 70 Lansing students enjoying a fun day of soccer, swimming, and chess at beautiful Hawk Island.

Huge thanks to our team of dedicated tutors for their work this summer, to MiLEAP for their Out-Of-School Program funds to support us, to Lansing Student Development Program for hosting us at the fieldhouse, and to Lansing School District for access to the soccer fields too.

See you back at school, and at training!

Our last summer SCORE day is this Thursday!

We’re wrapping up an incredible summer of SCORE with one more day together at Hawk Island Park.

Join us Thursday, Aug. 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a fun final day of summer programming. We recommend students bring a towel and an extra pair of clothes.

📍 Hawk Island Park
📅 Thursday, Aug. 13
⏰ 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Let’s finish the summer strong. See you at Hawk Island!

Our friends and supporters at Uplift Our Youth Foundation are hosting their fundraiser and award event next month.
Grab a ticket, and we'll see you there!

➡️We’re entering one of the most exciting times of the year for the Uplift Our Youth Foundation!🎊
On Thursday, September 17th, we’ll gather for our annual awards and fundraiser event—celebrating inspiring community leaders, spotlighting exceptional students, and awarding more than $15K in grants to organizations dedicated to empowering youth.
Join us for this spectacular evening of recognition and impact.
Can’t attend but still want to support? Simply scroll down to the barcode to contribute.
Thank you to all who continue to uplift our mission. We truly appreciate you!

*Dinner served by Moma Liza's catering.

⚽️ Volunteer Coaches Wanted

Everyone has an opinion about youth sports.

Kids don’t play outside anymore.
The system is broken.
Youth sports cost too much.
There aren’t enough positive role models.

Maybe they’re right.

But none of those problems are solved from the sidelines. They’re solved by ordinary people who decide to show up.

Real Lansing Football League is looking for volunteer coaches this fall. You don’t need years of experience. You just need a love for the game, kids… preferably both 🤣

We’ll train you.

Before the season begins, every coach attends one of our Real Lansing Coaching Training Days, where we’ll walk you through everything- from the rules of the game and running practices to substitutions, halftime talks, game strategies, and how to help kids develop both on and off the field. You’ll also work alongside experienced coaches who will support you every step of the way.

Will it take time?
Yes.

Will it take energy?
Absolutely.

Will it matter?
We believe it will.

Real change doesn’t begin in boardrooms. It begins on neighborhood fields with adults willing to invest in the next generation.

If you’ve ever wished youth soccer looked different in Lansing, this is your opportunity to help build it.

📅 Season: August 31 – October 31
📍 Training Days: Attend one session (food & refreshments provided)
🔗 Learn more at reallansingfc.org/rlfl and scan the QR code on for more info.

Let’s raise the grassroots level of soccer—together. 🖤💛⚽

Quick reminder for the Lansing soccer community.
This is happening TODAY!

Hear ye, hear ye. 📜⚽️

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all children are created equal… and should probably be able to play quality soccer without their parents taking out a second mortgage.

Thus, on the 7th day of August, in the Year of Our Lord 2026, the good people of Lansing shall assemble at Ozone's Brewhouse to discuss a matter of great consequence:

How do we fix youth soccer?

Real Lansing FC has a few ideas. We’ll share what we’re building, what we’re learning, what’s working, and where we think the game needs to change.

Then, exercising powers granted to us by absolutely no governing body whatsoever, we shall draft an Open Letter to U.S. Soccer. 🇺🇸

Agree with it? Sign your name.
Disagree? Come argue your case over a beer.
Just love football? You’re exactly who we want there.

🍺 First Friday Football Talk
📅 Friday, August 7
⏰ 4–6 PM
📍 Ozone’s Brewhouse — Old Town
🎟️ Free. Everyone welcome.

Football Social × Real Lansing FC × Ozone’s

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary to fix youth soccer… somebody’s gotta grab a quill. 🪶⚽️

♟️⚽ ON THE FIELD. ON THE BOARD.

Pavan Kannan was named our Real Lansing Coach of the Year for coaching multiple teams, driving kids who needed rides, and showing up again and again.

But along the way, Pavan brought something else to Real Lansing:

Chess. ♟️

His love for the game became contagious. Players started playing. Coaches started playing. Chess became part of our culture.

We now draw lessons between soccer and chess all the time, from controlling the center and protecting the king to staying focused when exhausted.

This week, Coach Pavan is competing at the 126th U.S. Open Chess Championship in Grand Rapids by US Chess.

In his opening round, Pavan, rated around 1700, faced a FIDE Master rated more than 600 points higher.

Pavan earned a draw.

US Chess highlighted it as one of the notable upsets of the opening round: https://new.uschess.org/news//strength-activity-us-open-begins

That’s our coach. 💪♟️

Our dream isn’t only to develop better soccer players. We want young people who think, compete, and aren’t intimidated when the person across from them is supposed to be better.

We want our players to do exactly what Coach Pavan does:

Excel at everything they set their minds to. ⚽♟️

Congratulations, Coach Pavan. We can’t wait to follow you all week!

Hear ye, hear ye. 📜⚽️

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all children are created equal… and should probably be able to play quality soccer without their parents taking out a second mortgage.

Thus, on the 7th day of August, in the Year of Our Lord 2026, the good people of Lansing shall assemble at Ozone's Brewhouse to discuss a matter of great consequence:

How do we fix youth soccer?

Real Lansing FC has a few ideas. We’ll share what we’re building, what we’re learning, what’s working, and where we think the game needs to change.

Then, exercising powers granted to us by absolutely no governing body whatsoever, we shall draft an Open Letter to U.S. Soccer. 🇺🇸

Agree with it? Sign your name.
Disagree? Come argue your case over a beer.
Just love football? You’re exactly who we want there.

🍺 First Friday Football Talk
📅 Friday, August 7
⏰ 4–6 PM
📍 Ozone’s Brewhouse — Old Town
🎟️ Free. Everyone welcome.

Football Social × Real Lansing FC × Ozone’s

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary to fix youth soccer… somebody’s gotta grab a quill. 🪶⚽️

🚨 SCORE PROGRAM UPDATE! 🚨

Due to elections at the Fieldhouse tomorrow, SCORE is heading to Hawk Island! ⚽️🌊

📅 Tuesday, August 4th
⏰ 9 AM–1 PM
📍 Hawk Island Park

Students should bring a towel and an extra pair of clothes — we plan on having some fun!