Capturing the Art of the Worldwide Pickup Game By Evan Kravitz
O
ne of the most important days in Gwendolyn Oxenham’s life happened at a young age. She was taking ballet lessons and her brother was playing soccer. After watching her brother play she realized she was definitely with the wrong crowd. Soccer was her true calling. She soon found herself playing on her first team, the Candy Canes. Now, the 26 year-old is part of a new documentary that examines the cross-cultural phenomenon that is soccer. “Pelada,” the Brazilian term for street soccer, is the name of Oxenham’s film which she co-directed with three of her peers, all soccer enthusiasts. Oxenham is a 2004 graduate of Duke University and at sixteen was the youngest Division I athlete in the history of the NCAA. A Duke Captain, she made two All-ACC teams, led the Duke team in assists, and was named Most Inspirational Player. But when Oxenham was young, coaches were hard on her. So, she found ways to constantly improve. It was during her youth that
she began the see the importance of pickup games. Years later, the simplicity of starting a game of soccer would lead her on an amazing journey. The idea for the documentary came while Oxenham was working as a deckhand on a ship docked in Mexico. While at port, she noticed a makeshift soccer field in the distance and organized a game with some locals. That’s when Oxenham realized that soccer was that special type of sport that could be “picked up” anywhere. Soon after that game, Oxenham and fellow Co-Director Rebekah Fergusson began talking about the possibilities of filming an adventure around the world where they would startor join- as many pickup games in as many countries as possible. With the addition of Oxenham’s future fiancé Luke Boughen and producer Ryan White the four set off to explore, literally, the world of soccer. They picked their locations based upon rumors of pickup games being played. In Tehran, Iran, where it is illegal for women to
play with the men, Oxenham found that there was “a difference between want the government wants and what the people want. No one ever says no to a pickup game, no matter if you are a man or woman.” Playing in Kenya left the most lasting memory. The field they used once served as a garbage dump. “Soccer is like a language,” said Oxenham. “There isn’t any other sport that has its reach and no other sport travels as well. For me, the special part was getting to know so many different people and the way the ability to kick a ball allows you to get to know total strangers.” Regarding the goal of the documentary, Oxenham says their purpose was to tell the story of the people who play and to show the connectivity of the world’s game. “We made the film for the huge soccer audience,” Oxenham said. “However, we also made it for those who say they don’t get soccer. Our favorite reactions are when we convert the non-soccer fans.” To learn more about the film visit www.pelada-movie.com.
Send your TOUCHLINE story suggestions to: ekravitz@epysa.org 30 EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SOCCER • TOUCHLINE