WHAT IS SPACE UNITED?
WE ARE A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF SPACE FANS BUILDING THE FIRST-OF-A-KIND FAN-COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB FOR ALL PEOPLE OF EARTH.
Space United is an organization made up of space engineer-athletes that unites space & soccer to inspire communities around the world. What started in 2014 as SpaceX's Football Club has expanded to unite players across the space industry, and today includes a jersey collaboration with Blue Origin’s Club for the Future. Our players in Los Angeles and Seattle are space professionals actively pushing the boundaries of space exploration at companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Relativity Space and more. In 2020 our our foundation Goal for Launch connected with over 12,000 students around the world and our engineer-athletes are continuously growing their efforts to break down the barriers of traditional STEM outreach using soccer & space.
Our goals include inspiring youth to pursue careers in STEM, increasing diversity in the space industry and establishing a professional soccer club in the US by 2022.
For more info about our club and mission, check out our Media Kit.
#GoalForLaunch!
FAQs
WHAT IS SPACE UNITED FC?
Space United FC ® is a network of recreational soccer clubs connected across the globe that compete at recreational and soon to be professional levels.
WHEN & WHERE WILL THE 1ST PROFESSIONAL CLUB BE ESTABLISHED?
We are working to establish our first professional club in the 2nd/3rd tier of professional soccer division in the United States of America. We will begin our professional path in Seattle, Washington.
WHERE DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE RECREATIONAL CLUBS?
We currently have recreational soccer club made up of a diverse community of engineers from space companies and space enthusiasts. We have two teams in the space hubs of Los Angeles and Seattle.
WHO CAN JOIN OUR TEAMS?
The majority of our players are professionals working in Aerospace and Space companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Relativity Space, and more. However, everyone and anyone who is inspired by space & its uplifting effect on humanity is welcome to join.
Join our Discord community here!
WHAT IS GOAL FOR LAUNCH!?
Goal for Launch! ® is our engineer-athlete led community outreach program focused on inspiring youth and increasing diversity in STEM education by providing mentorship and coaching resources to students around the world.
Our Spanish bi-lingual engineer athletes help break down the barriers in traditional STEM outreach by:
Making Space STEM accessible to all
Providing Spanish content for space exploration
Complementing STEM with soccer to boost emotional health
Supporting as role models for youth and minorities in STEM education/careers.
So far, our engineer athletes have connected with over 7,000 students across the world!
WHO IS BEHIND SPACE UNITED?
Our Mission Control Team, as we like to call our front office, is made up of a diverse group of engineers, athletes, educators and designers. Our founding partners are brothers Camilo & Sebastian who both worked as engineers at SpaceX and currently continue to work in the Space Industry at Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman respectively. We also have a incredible and talented group who has had combined professional experience in teaching, coaching and design work for some of the most well known brands in the world. Read more about our team at our Mission Control Team.
WHAT WILL THE DONATION FUNDS BE USED FOR?
Donations will support our athletic supplies like soccer balls, stadium & field rentals, equipment, hydration, and staff supporting game day activities. In addition, we are expanding our educational reach with school districts across the world with our foundation Goal for Launch, and your support allows us to acquire educational supplies like rocket models, coloring supplies, postcard to space template printouts and other supplies that we utilize to share modules on space exploration with students.
WHY SPACE & SOCCER?
Space United was inspired by the positive influence of space and soccer in our lives, which we have in turn united to inspire our communities. We all need inspiration: space is humanity’s greatest feat and soccer is the world’s beautiful game. Space and soccer give people hope, the means to achieve and change their lives.
We want people from all walks of life to be inspired by what they are capable of but not only stop at inspired, but continue to find support in a community that understands the significance of building and sharing each person’s success.
WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND SPACE UNITED?
Space United was inspired by the founder Camilo Tobacia’s family story. Camilo and his brothers grew up with humble means in Colombia where, like many other communities, there was a lack of STEM resources. Luckily for him and his 3 brothers, their father was an indispensable role model in their lives. Their father was a mechanical engineer and sparked their curiosity in STEM. In addition, soccer complemented their education and boosted their health and emotional well-being.
STEM & Soccer helped all 4 brothers grow up with positive purpose, with a sense of community and eventually become successful engineers athletes.
Space United was also inspired by the message behind Camilo’s father’s story. His father grew up in poverty and adversity in his family life and felt hopeless until he realized he could help his family through education. He then worked hard to become a mechanical engineer and was able to help not only his family, but also his community.
In 2014, these life experiences inspired Camilo to create Space United and use space and soccer to promote meaningful change in society.
WHY WAS SPACE UNITED FC ALSO KNOWN AS SPACEX FC?
In 2014, as soon as Camilo began his career as an engineer at SpaceX, he began building rockets and SpaceX Football Club.
Originally known as SpaceX Football Club, the team was subsidized by SpaceX and the original roster consisted of engineers and technicians at SpaceX.
Since then, the club has grown to unite engineers from other companies such as Blue Origin and Relativity Space and also athletes and space enthusiasts from outside of SpaceX —We are now Space United Football Club.
WHAT IS SPACE UNITED’S MISSION?
To unify space and soccer in a professional soccer club that is more than soccer, as a symbol of hope and inspiration to diverse groups and youth and to support communities in connecting with STEM education to improve lives/opportunity around the world.
WHY DOES THE SUFC SOCCER JERSEY HAVE “CLUB FOR THE FUTURE” ON IT?
Space United has recently entered into a stellar collaboration for our front jersey sponsorship with Blue Origin’s non-profit, Club for the Future.
W are teaming up with Club for the Future’s “postcard to space” program and bringing space & sports to classrooms all over the world where students get to send their vision of sports in space to space, on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, and receive them back with an official “flown to space” certification.
In addition to the joint classroom venture, we are proud to now have Club for the Future on our award winning jersey. Together, the jersey looks sleek and futuristic making a statement in both style and significance to the community and our supporters.
Our collaboration will also help elevate our unique game day experience as we plan to draw in multicultural crowds with an awe-inspiring STEM experience, while building a cross-cultural space and soccer community that stands for supporting one another.