The game keeps taking Poulin places

By her own admission, Anne Poulin is a traveler, has a nomadic spirit and sees both of those manifesting themselves in her passion for soccer.

But Poulin, a 2000 St. Charles grad, also has a passion for people - so when the chance to combine this passion with her sporting love - you can imagine how fired up she became.

When asked if she keeps her soccer shoes with her when she travels with other footwear, Poulin said, "I'd play barefoot." But she has found that there are things that can happen when she puts those feet to work.

"Clearly I love to play," Poulin said. "But you can use it for something bigger. And soccer is the biggest game. You can take the game anywhere. The game means things to people everywhere and it can be a way to go and to address things because soccer is the universal language."

The trip in question is a June excursion to Malawi in southeastern Africa. Malawi is a country with a booming population but also a rising problem with regard to an HIV/AIDS epidemic. The CIA's World Factbook estimates that 11.9 percent of the adult population has HIV or AIDS. The death rate from AIDS means 46 percent of the population is 14 or under.

For comparison, those same CIA statistics show that 0.6 percent of Americans adults suffer from either HIV or AIDS while 20 percent of the U.S. population is 14-or-under.

Those Malawian children have almost all been touched by this epidemic. And this is where Poulin the sportswoman comes in. In a country where soccer is far and away the No. 1 sport, a clinic to kick a ball will draw far more than one where the stated aim is to discuss sexually transmitted diseases.

"There's a massive ratio of kids who have lost someone to this and they don't want to talk it all the time," Poulin said. "But if you lay a soccer field for them, they are going to want to go and play. That's the thing about the game - it transcends so many things. We can knock the ball around and then go and have a chat."

There's a massive ratio of kids who have lost someone to this and they don't want to talk about it all the time. But if you lay a soccer field, they are going to want to go and play. That's the thing about the game, it transcends so many things. We can knock the ball around and go and have a chat."

Barrington-based Willow Creek Community Church and Pastor Jay Madden are organizing the trip to Malawi. Poulin said the idea was brought to her attention through her work as a coach for Palatine-based Soccers SC, a club whose technical director is former Northern Illinois University star David Richardson.

"Soccer's one piece of this, a way to bring people in," Poulin said. "Being the world's game, we can use that to attract people from the villages to play and have a camp."

Poulin's soccer career has taken many twists. After graduating from St. Charles, she attended Arizona State, but her career there was cut short from a series of concussions.

She has since been cleared to compete again, and has played abroad, including a season for Nottingham Forest's women's team in England. Back in the U.S., she has been an assistant coach for St. Charles North, though she stepped away from that role this season.

And now injuries have struck again. A calf problem has sent her back to the sidelines, just as the country's latest attempt at a professional women's league is starting.

But Poulin doesn't have any bitterness. How could you when you have the chance to embark on a trip to go help people and hear their stories about soccer - and just life in general?

"Having to take those three years off with the succession of concussions I had, it allowed me time to step back, and I know I wouldn't have had the passion to get back that I did," Poulin said. "It wasn't me walking away. It was me being told to take time off. As hard as these things have been to go through, I would never be where I am now and I wouldn't have that desire to travel or to use the game as a tool and to still play if I hadn't been through all of this."

Willow Creek has a deep involvement in Africa. The vast majority of Malawians describe themselves as Christians, and this is a form of outreach for the church. The trip takes place June 18-30.

In an online blog, Madden wrote, "Our primary focus will be pastors and youth. We will be engaged in several different areas of service such as training home-based care workers, local pastors, children's workers and serving at a youth camp."

Poulin said one of the aspects of the trip will be to leave local pastors with a kit so they can make a soccer field on their own. Just as sports can bring youth to a venue where they can learn about HIV/AIDS, it can also be a way to bring any of a number of other messages.

"I won't be talking with the kids," Poulin said. "There will be people with more experience doing that. But this is a chance to get information to people that don't have access to it. I know I won't be able to understand the magnitude of the epidemic until I get there."

Poulin said she hopes to see some soccer matches while in Malawi. There is a tournament in South Africa in late June which serves as a dry run for the 2010 World Cup, which is hosted for the first time by an African country.

"Being a nomad, I have a list of places I'd like to visit," Poulin said. "Johannesburg has always been on my list. I'd love to take in some games."

There is a way area soccer players or teams can help as well. Poulin said equipment is always needed. She donated some old St. Charles North jerseys to a previous trip. Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau, Poulin's high school coach at St. Charles, has already contacted her about donating equipment.

The needs are varied. If anyone or their team has something they wish to donate, contact Anne Poulin at apoulin21@aol.com. In itself, the donation won't solve anything in Africa. But a number of small steps can take someone a long way. Just as the St. Charles native who's a soccer nomad and who's about to take some very large steps to try to help people in a country where a lot of help is needed.