For some professional soccer players, retiring means walking away from the beautiful game.
Not so for former Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani.
Since retiring in 2014, Zakuani has returned to Seattle and has joined the club's broadcast and digital team. He still immerses himself in the culture and surrounds himself with former teammates. Now, those colleagues are helping to support him as he pursues his other passion: philanthropy.
In 2015, Zakuani hosted the first "Zakuani & Friends Charity Match" at Starfire Sports, a place that's near and dear to his heart.
"When I played for the Sounders, I loved playing at CenturyLink Field, but a game at Starfire was always special. It's a more intimate environment, the crowd is right there near the field," said Zakuani. "When you make the walk from the locker room to the field, you're right there near the fans. There's so much more interaction."
That interaction made the venue the ideal place for his charity event, which raised money for Kingdom Hope, the charity he founded in 2010. Former Sounders and current Seattle Reign FC and Sounders Women players joined in a co-ed match that raised funds for the scholarships that Zakuani has given to children in his native Democratic Republic of Congo. Immediately following the event, people began asking Zakuani when he'd host the next event.
"We were planning a black tie fundraising dinner and we realized it just wasn't us. We decided to do a soccer game instead," he said. "We didn't plan to do it every year, but the demand was there. We started planning the next event right away."
That next event will be on Sunday, May 15 and the group's efforts are already growing compared to last year. The game will feature U.S. men's national team alums including Landon Donovan and Eddie Johnson, plus former league MVP Dwayne de Rosario and former Sounders players Roger Levesque and Nate Jaqua, among others.
Last year's event featured a massive meet and greet on the field following the game, and this year will be no different.
"Having that access to players is important," said Zakuani. "Having the game there [at Starfire] keeps that community feel going. It's for the people, it's for the community and that's the reason we're there."
With the larger event, Kingdom Hope is expanding its reach and beginning programs stateside in Zakuani's new home in the Pacific Northwest. Through 'Soccer On Us', Kingdom Hope is providing scholarships and leadership training for kids who want to learn the game through local soccer clubs. Tickets are now on sale for the charity game on May 15 and all proceeds will benefit the scholarship funds.
"I don't know how to do anything else. For me, everything always comes back to soccer. I can use it in many ways and since retiring, I've had so much fun learning different ways that I can leverage the game," said Zakuani. "Bringing everyone around the beautiful game for a good cause...that's easy to do. Everyone wants to be involved."
