Westside Indianapolis · 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Building the NEXT generation, on and off the field.
Affordable, high-quality sports, education and workforce programs for youth, hosted on the Westside of Indianapolis.
Our mission
Opportunity shouldn't be determined by finances or ZIP code.
To remove barriers to opportunity by providing affordable, high-quality sports, education, and workforce development programs for youth hosted on the Westside of Indianapolis.
Our vision: a community where a young person's potential, not their circumstances, determines how far they can go.
Outside the loop
Elite clubs and top facilities cluster in the suburbs, far from Westside families.
Opportunity comes at a price
Some families pay $3,000–$6,000 a year for travel soccer, before uniforms, team fees and travel.
The logistics of access
Transportation, work schedules and disconnected programs create barriers of their own.
Our answer to the access gap
Quality programs, near home
The best programs moved to the suburbs. We bring them back to the Westside, inside the loop, and keep them affordable.
A premier club experience without the premier price
Competitive travel soccer for boys and girls aged 7–15. A boutique talent and performance academy that puts individual development and mentorship ahead of size, with quality coaching and Nike kits, playing across Indiana and Ohio.
Built where few options exist
Girls' soccer
Dedicated girls teams on the Westside. With support from Lauren Holiday, we've grown to 18 female athletes and our first all-girls team.
Free · 5 schools · 3,000+ kids
Wayne Township schools
Soccer in PE classes and after-school clubs, for kids who can't get to our fields. For many, their first organized soccer.
Free pickup · Local events
Camps & community
Summer camp, free pickup games and neighborhood events like Lynhurst International Day.
See photos in the gallery →
Paid youth jobs
NXT Grounds
Students earn pay caring for and beautifying Wayne Sports Park, often covering their own player fees. Two cohorts hired so far.
Visit nxtgrounds.com →
STEM · Launched 2026
Next-Gen Innovators
Hands-on STEM workshops for every student, not just athletes. Our first: building miniature greenhouses.
See the winter STEM calendar →The NEXT family
One nonprofit, three programs
Every program carries the NEXT name and answers to one nonprofit board, so a gift to Next Academy Inc reaches all of them. See how the brand fits together →
How we're organized
Our structure
Next Academy Inc.'s Board of Directors provides overall governance, while larger programs have dedicated boards. The Next 11 Academy Soccer Board oversees soccer operations and reports to the nonprofit board.
2025–26 by the numbers
Our impact this year
Fees cover only part of the true cost. Donors, volunteers and in-kind professionals make the rest possible.
After an FC Cincinnati scout spotted our players at an out-of-state tournament, Michael Igbekoyi earned a spot on FC Cincinnati's U13 Academy, one of just four players selected from Indiana.
He was given a chance close to home, and he took it and ran.
Who we are
Westside roots, national reach
Founded by Tamba Samba, who grew up playing on these same fields, and guided by a board that includes founding champion Lauren Holiday, a World Cup winner who also came up on the Westside, and MLS veteran Justin Morrow.
Tamba SambaFounder & Chair
Lauren HolidayDirector
Sia SambaSecretary
Breeonna ElliottTreasurer
Justin MorrowDirectorGive
Together, we make a way.
Your gift keeps a premier club experience affordable, funds scholarships, pays youth wages through NXT Grounds and brings free soccer and STEM into Westside schools.
Next Academy Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit · EIN 93-1634336 · Gifts are tax-deductible.
Sponsorship levels
Or sponsor a program: soccer uniforms and teams, Wayne Sports Park, NXT Grounds youth jobs, or STEM workshops. See program sponsorships.