Angel City FC partners with California women’s prison for soccer rehabilitation program

A new program using soccer to teach leadership and life skills has launched at the California Institution for Women, aiming to support rehabilitation and reduce recidivism among incarcerated women.

The initiative is part of a global effort known as the Twinning Project, which partners professional sports teams with correctional facilities.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is teaming with the Twinning Project to run two eight-week cohorts of the program with instructors from Angel City Football Club, a women’s soccer club that participates in the National Women’s Soccer League and plays its home games at BMO Stadium in Exposition Park.

Participants will meet weekly through Dec. 16 for soccer training and leadership workshops, with sessions led by Angel City clinicians and the Positive Coaching Alliance.

“CIW is dedicated to fostering growth and opportunity for incarcerated individuals, and we are proud to support this transformative partnership,” said Shaun Ward, supervisor of CDCR’s correctional education programs. “This leadership soccer program offers participants a powerful pathway to develop crucial life skills, build confidence, and prepare for successful reintegration into the community.”

Founded in 2018, the Twinning Project works internationally to connect prisons with professional sports clubs. Its programs are designed to improve mental and physical health, build resilience and create pathways to employment. While the group has worked in the U.S. before, this marks its first collaboration with a U.S. women’s team.

“The launch of the Twinning Project at CIW represents a truly significant step in our global mission,” said CEO Hilton Freund. “By partnering with Angel City and CDCR, we are delivering life-changing opportunities… and helping create stronger communities through the positive impact of sport-based criminal justice interventions.”

The initiative follows a similar collaboration with the Golden State Warriors at California State Prison, Solano, and is the latest in CDCR’s ongoing efforts to focus on rehabilitation.