Central Library celebrates soccer, World Cup with crafts, community
Spokane’s football fever has officially set in with the arrival of the Egyptian men’s national soccer team, and the Spokane Public Library invites everyone to join the frenzy.
On Thursday, the Central Library will host a World Cup celebration from 4 to 5 p.m. Families are invited to enjoy soccer-related activities and crafts, and meet and take photos with a few members of Spokane’s Velocity soccer team.
To highlight this year’s World Cup host nations, U.S., Mexico and Canada, the library will offer mascot-themed crafts of Maple the Moose, Zayu the Jaguar and Clutch the Bald Eagle. Even the unofficial 509 Syndicate Goat mascot will be represented with a garbage goat toss.
There will also be a finger puppet craft where attendees can transform their fingers into soccer players for a miniature tournament. For those who love design, the event will offer a station to create your own paper soccer ball with custom decorations. And to top things off, World Cup coloring and temporary tattoos will also be available.
World Cup games will be projected on the big screen for all to enjoy.
The 90+ Project will host drills and exercises with foam balls. The local nonprofit is committed to making soccer more accessible to all with the mission to promote community, growth mindset, integrity, and equity and inclusion.
“Sports can be really expensive … They do soccer programs, they have job training, mentorship, life skills and they do a lot of really great things for the community,” said Spokane Public Library youth services manager Denise Neujahr.
The 90+ Project has a packed summer of community offerings, like free soccer clinics, coaching and referee educational programs, and several camps with different focus areas from agility to goalkeeping and girl leadership. To learn more, visit 90plusproject.org.
The event is open to children of all ages, and attendees will be entered into a raffle for the chance to win Spokane Velocity match tickets.
“The World Cup brings people from, you know, all the different countries together to celebrate soccer, to celebrate football, and to celebrate our cultures. And so the libraries, we also want to bring people together from all over the community and to celebrate this great, fun sporting event,” Neujahr said. “But it’s just so much more than sports.
“It’s also about celebrating each other and bringing us together.”