With the Help of South Bay Supporters, a Soccer Team in Darfur Takes the World Stage with Life-chang

Gabriel Stauring is a humble man, but to many he is a real-life superhero. He is not a professional athlete or celebrity who can call on vast resources to inspire or enact change, but he is driven by a deep desire to help others. His is a story of the power of kindness, which he has proved is a resource that can move mountains and change lives.

This is also a story about the power that sports have to heal us, unite us and simply bring us joy—even in the face of unbelievable hardship. Gabriel’s genius was combining those powers through a love of soccer—or football, as it’s known in many countries. He used soccer as the bridge to cross continent-sized barriers and unite a small South Bay beach community with a desolate refugee camp in Darfur. In the process, he helped uplift the lives of people the world seemed to have forgotten.