More than 40 children ages 6-12 turned out for the RailHawks and Project Phoenix soccer clinic on June 14 at the Geneva Park Playground in Cary. Three RailHawks team members, including captain Brad Rusin, provided demonstrations in dribbling, passing, and juggling. Participants then put their new skills to use in several fast-paced, small-sided games.

Each participant was presented with a free ticket to the RailHawks’ next home game and a chance to get autographs from the participating players. The RailHawks will face the Montreal Impact on July 3 at 7 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Participant Charlie Madera, age 11, says he loves playing soccer wherever he can, but it is often difficult to find a place to play. 

"I had a lot of fun playing today," said Charlie. "Me and my friends are always looking for a place to play, so we came as soon as we saw the flyer."

Project Phoenix is a program of the Town of Cary Police Department that works to create healthier and safer neighborhoods in the Cary area. In addition to the soccer clinic, the program has brought in other organizations with the unified effort to bring the neighborhood residents closer together.

"We started the program to work with underserved apartment communities in Cary," said Greg Myers, a member of the Project Phoenix staff. " The basic goal is to help build community partnerships and to create opportunities to get the youth involved with programs that aren’t usually brought to these communities. Getting the RailHawks organization involved is a great example of this.”

Carolina RailHawks “Community Outreach” initiatives are made possible through the support of the Summit Hospitality Group, a premier hotel and restaurant management company and one of North Carolina’s largest operators of hotels.

For RailHawks ticket information and to purchase tickets online, go to CarolinaRailHawks.com, or call (919) 859-KICK (5425). To find out more about Project Phoenix and its efforts in the neighborhoods of Cary, visit www.townofcary.org.