OUR STORY
A love for the game. A belief that everyone deserves the chance to play.
Soccer is called the beautiful game for a reason. It can be played almost anywhere, by almost anyone. It doesn’t require a certain language, background, or hometown. Put a ball on the ground, find some open space, and the game has a way of bringing people together. But for millions of aspiring players, there is still a barrier between wanting to play and having the opportunity to play. Stella’s Soccer Stars was created to help remove that barrier.
A Nonprofit Built to Give
Stella’s Soccer Stars is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Stella’s Soccer Stars has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our nonprofit structure reflects our purpose: to use the resources entrusted to us to expand access to soccer and support players and communities that need them.
Stella’s Soccer Stars, An Arizona Non-Profit Organization
EIN: 42-44-21285
Contributions to Stella’s Soccer Stars are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. For additional information about our organization, financials, governance, or nonprofit status, please
Why Stella’s Soccer Stars?
Every organization has a beginning. Ours starts with Stella, a girl who loves soccer, loves to travel, and has never met a stranger.
Stella loves soccer. She is an avid player who loves the game, the competition, her teammates, and simply being on the field. But soccer is only part of what makes Stella, Stella. She also loves to travel. And wherever she goes, she has a remarkable ability to make friends. Different cities. Different countries. Different backgrounds. It doesn’t seem to matter. Stella has always had a natural curiosity about other people and an ability to connect with them.
Soccer has much the same quality. You don’t necessarily need to speak the same language to pass someone a ball. You don’t need to come from the same place to join a game. Put a soccer ball between a group of kids almost anywhere in the world and, before long, there’s a pretty good chance a game will break out. That combination of soccer, travel, and connection became part of the inspiration for Stella’s Soccer Stars.
Then There is The Gear.
Like many soccer families, ours accumulated a lot of it. Soccer balls. Cleats that were suddenly a size too small. Shin guards. Cones. Jerseys. Training equipment. And then another season would come along, bringing another round of equipment with it. Before long, we had dozens of soccer balls and more perfectly usable soccer gear than we knew what to do with. And we knew we weren’t alone.
Across the soccer community, garages, closets, clubhouses, and equipment rooms are filled with gear that has been outgrown, replaced, or simply isn’t being used anymore. Too often, that equipment eventually gets thrown away. We started looking at it differently.
What if, instead of throwing it away, we could put it back on the field?
Because somewhere else, there is a player who would love those cleats. A coach who could use those balls. A team that needs those jerseys. Or a community where a few bags of soccer equipment could help a lot more kids play the game.
From an Idea to an Opportunity
There was another piece to the puzzle. Stella’s father is involved in the ownership and serves on the Board of Directors of an airline whose operations sometimes reach communities where resources can be limited. That created an unusual combination of circumstances. We had a family that loved soccer. We had equipment that still had plenty of life left in it. We had a desire to give back rather than throw useful things away. And, importantly, we had relationships and access that could potentially help get that equipment from where it was no longer needed to where it could make a difference.
That’s when a simple idea began to take shape:
Collect it here. Get it there. Let them play.
And Stella’s Soccer Stars was born.
Give Your Gear Another Game.
What began with our own family’s soccer equipment has become a much bigger idea. Because our garage isn’t the only one filled with soccer gear. There are thousands of families, players, teams, clubs, schools, and organizations with equipment that has more to give. At the same time, there are players and communities around the world with the passion to play but without access to some of the most basic equipment the game requires.
Stella’s Soccer Stars exists to help connect the two.
We collect new and gently used soccer equipment. We work to identify players, teams, and communities that need it. And whenever possible, we use our network of partners and supporters to help get that equipment where it can do what it was made to do:
Get back on the field.
It’s a simple idea inspired by a simple game. Take something you no longer need. Give it to someone who does. And maybe, somewhere along the way, make a new friend.
OUR BELIEF
The field should be the only boundary.
We believe soccer should be limited by the boundaries of the field—not by a player’s ability to afford the equipment needed to step onto it. Talent isn’t determined by income. Passion isn’t determined by geography. And a child’s opportunity to experience the game shouldn’t be determined by whether his or her family can afford a new pair of cleats.
Soccer has always been remarkable for its simplicity. A ball and a little open space can create a game almost anywhere in the world.
Yet organized soccer requires more. Balls. Cleats. Shin guards. Uniforms. Goals. Cones. Training equipment. For some families and communities, those necessities can become significant barriers to participation.
We believe equipment should enable the game, not prevent someone from playing it.
OUR MISSION
Making the beautiful game accessible to everyone who wants to play.
The mission of Stella’s Soccer Stars is to make soccer—the beautiful game—more accessible by providing equipment to underserved players, teams, and communities. We collect new and gently used soccer gear from individuals, families, clubs, schools, businesses, and organizations and connect those resources with communities where they can make a meaningful difference. But our mission is about more than moving equipment from one place to another.
It’s about creating opportunities.
An unused pair of cleats can become someone’s first pair of soccer shoes. A box of old uniforms can help a new team take the field. A collection of soccer balls can give dozens—or hundreds—of players the opportunity to practice and play. Every piece of equipment has the potential for another game, another player, and another opportunity.
Our job is to help it get there.
A game without barriers.
Our Vision
We envision a world where every child who wants to play soccer has the opportunity to do so. Where a player’s passion for the game matters more than his or her ability to purchase equipment. Where soccer clubs and families routinely give outgrown equipment another life. Where communities with resources can easily connect with communities that need them. And where the global soccer community recognizes that expanding access to the game is something all of us can help accomplish.
Our ambition begins with equipment—but our vision is bigger. Every ball delivered can create hundreds of touches. Every pair of cleats can create another season. Every set of uniforms can help create another team. And every new player who steps onto a field becomes part of the worldwide soccer community.
More equipment. More opportunity. More players. More soccer.
Our Team
People who believe in the power of the game.
Stella’s Soccer Stars is led by people who share a love for soccer and a belief in its ability to create opportunity, community, confidence, and connection. Our Board of Directors provides the leadership, governance, relationships, and experience necessary to advance the SSS mission and ensure that the organization operates responsibly and effectively.
Web Master
Design & Layout
The Next Chapter Starts on the Field.
Stella’s Soccer Stars began with a simple idea: Soccer belongs to everyone. We know we can’t eliminate every barrier that keeps someone from playing. But there is one barrier we can do something about. We can take the equipment we already have and put it where it can do some good. We can give a pair of cleats another season. We can give a ball another thousand touches. We can give a team the equipment it needs to take the field. And together, we can give more people the chance to play the beautiful game.
✔ GIVE GEAR ✔ GET INVOLVED
Matt is a father, entrepreneur, investor, coach, and longtime believer in the power of sports to shape young lives. As President and Board Member of Phoenix Valley Soccer Club, Matthew has seen firsthand how soccer can teach confidence, discipline, teamwork, resilience, and friendship. Together with his daughter Stella, he helped create Stella’s Soccer Stars around a simple belief: every child deserves the opportunity to experience the game they love, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. For Matthew, the organization is about much more than soccer. It is about a father and daughter working together to give young athletes an opportunity, strengthen their community, and help kids discover just how much they 
 David Wells brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in finance, operations, and business administration to Stella’s Soccer Stars, along with a deep commitment to family, community, and service. As the founder of Atlas Bookkeeping and an experienced advisor to public and private companies, David provides valuable financial and organizational insight that helps ensure the charity operates responsibly and effectively. He also serves on the Board of Directors of HeartSciences, Inc. A Scottsdale resident, David is a devoted husband, father, and stepfather who believes strongly in giving back and creating opportunities for others. His commitment to service extends into the community, where he volunteers with Marked Men for Christ. David earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and entrepreneurship from Seattle Pacific University and his MBA from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School. At Stella’s Soccer Stars, David brings together his professional experience and passion for service to help create opportunities for young athletes and their families.
A former UCLA soccer standout and USA U20 international, Tibor Pelle leverages his deep sports network to open elite doors for aspiring college student athletes. With decades of experience coaching, mentoring, and guiding players through the college recruiting process, Tibor has helped student athletes turn soccer opportunities into college pathways, including mentoring players who have gone on to compete at the professional level. Driven by a mission to turn potential into peak performance, he helps student athletes define success, shatter expectations, and excel both on the field and in the classroom.