FOXBOROUGH — There were more than 64,000 fans in the stands at Gillette Stadium (temporarily renamed Boston Stadium) last Saturday night for the World Cup soccer game between Haiti and Scotland. It’s hard to imagine many of them being more excited to be there than the 13 Boys & Girls Club of Lynn members who had the opportunity of a lifetime to be part of one of the highest profile sporting events in the world.
The Boys & Girls Club received free tickets to the game from Gov. Maura Healey, through a partnership with the Massachusetts Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, which donated tickets to clubs across the state. Healey arranged for Airbnb to donate 1,100 World Cup tickets, of which more than 700 were distributed to Boys & Girls clubs.
Eight staff members accompanied the 13 BGCL members, ages 8-16, to the game, which started at 9 p.m., making for a long, but memorable night.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Darby Connolly, director of club operations, who coordinated the ultimate field trip. “When we told the kids they were going, some of them fell to their knees with tears in their eyes. They were so excited.”
“That reaction says everything,” said Grace Duran, BGCL executive director. “Experiences like this remind young people that there is a big world beyond their neighborhood. The memories will last and so will the inspiration they gained from being there.”
The club members included kids who play soccer and many of Haitian heritage, for whom it was especially meaningful to see Les Grenadiers, who were playing in a World Cup game for the first time since 1974. Even a 1-0 loss did not dampen the BGCL members’ enthusiasm.
“These are kids who would have never had an experience like this,” Connolly said. “To be able to do that is really extraordinary.”
“My favorite part was when Scotland scored a goal,” said 12-year-old Santiago Lopez Guzman, a club member and student at City Arts and Sciences Academy. “We cheered so loud! My parents were happy and surprised I was able to go. I loved the trip back. It was so fun and good vibes.”
The Lynn group shared a school bus with the Salem and Salesian (East Boston) Boys & Girls clubs. They left Lynn at 6 p.m. and did not return until 2 a.m., and while the adults may have felt a little groggy, the kids were clearly running on plenty of adrenaline.
“They were up and chatting all the way back,” Connolly said. “They were ready to go.”
