Mark Setzen is part of team planning Soccer Legacy Gala featuring a reunion of the 1994 team

Menlo Park resident Mark Setzen was part of the 1994 Bay Area Legacy Task Force, a group formed to cement the legacy of the 1994 FIFA World Cup tournament in a way that increases access to soccer for low-income youth in the Bay Area. The efforts raised nearly $600,000 which was later given to SCORES and is now part of the organization’s $1 million Legacy Endowment.

Mark now serves as the Board Treasurer for Bay Area SCORES and is involved with the Soccer Legacy Gala set for May 8.

SCORES was born out of the 1994 World Cup by a school teacher in Washington, DC. In 2001, Colin Schmidt started SCORES in the Bay Area  at five schools serving 150 students. Today SCORES reaches 180 schools and has nearly 7,000 “Poet-Athletes” around the Bay Area — San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Watsonville, West Contra Costa, Hayward, and San Rafael.

Students play on a soccer team and also participate in writing workshops that focus on poetry and service-learning. “The pairing of soccer with literacy is brilliant because education is such a lynchpin for success,” Mark says. “SCORES gives kids a sense of identity, fulfillment, and promise, which will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.”

Each region hosts weekly community game days and the program is free to students at low-income public schools. “We build community, create a sense of belonging, and students improve physical fitness and social-emotional wellbeing,” says Colin. “Soccer is a platform to connect students to school and to build their confidence on and off the field.”

Taking place on Friday, May 8, 2026 at Signia by Hilton in San Jose, the Soccer Legacy Gala will give more Poet-Athletes an opportunity to play on a team.  The event features a reunion of the 1994 team and several Poet-Athletes who are winners of a national poetry contest.

Buy tickets to the Gala online.