In 2015, I spearheaded a high-profile advocacy campaign for Daniel Sumuni, a Congolese refugee and one of my players at Withrow High School. Due to the Ohio High School Atheltic Association’s antiquated athletic participation rules ill-suited for refugee players, Daniel was in danger of not being able to play his final year of high school soccer.
By building widespread public and media support, the campaign garnered national media attention and engaged influential stakeholders, from the US State Department to the US Soccer Foundation. Only weeks after the start of the campaign, the OHSAA changed its participation rules, allowing Daniel to play his final season of high school soccer.
This outcome not only allowed Daniel to finish his high school career but also set a precedent for other refugee and immigrant student-athletes in Ohio.
By the time Daniel stepped on the soccer field at Withrow High School, he had already overcome incredible adversity. Born on the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Daniel and his family fled one of the deadliest conflicts since World War II, ultimately reaching Cincinnati after years in a Tanzanian refugee camp.
In Ohio, Withrow Soccer became the foundation of Daniel’s new life. Through the team, he made friends, learned English, and earned the respect of his peers, emerging as a team leader and role model. After two years of dedication, Daniel was eager to play his final season—until he discovered he was ineligible under the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s (OHSAA) antiquated eligibility rules.
While OHSAA’s policies allowed players up to age 19 to participate if they had been held back a year in childhood, they made no allowances for students like Daniel, whose schooling was interrupted by armed conflict. Due to his family’s hasty escape from a brutal conflict that ultimately claimed over five million lives, Daniel lacked the official records required to prove he’d been “held back.” Unlike several other states, Ohio had no hardship provision for students affected by such extreme crises.
The challenge was clear: we needed to persuade OHSAA to modify its rules, leveling the playing field for refugee students like Daniel and enabling him to play his final year of high school soccer.
Building on the success of my previous campaign for the Withrow soccer program, I developed a strategic, multimedia approach that leveraged regional media relationships to secure coverage and used social media to expand the campaign’s reach.
This strategy quickly paid off. The Cincinnati Enquirer – the leading regional newspaper for the Greater Cincinnati area – was interested in telling Daniel’s story, leading to a collaboration with Carrie Cochran, a Pulitzer Prize-winning filmmaker and journalist, and Enquirer reporter Hannah K. Sparling.
The collaboration led to the production of a compelling short film chronicling Daniel’s story, which ran alongside prominent print and digital coverage in the Enquirer. Shortly thereafter, USA Today, one of the largest news outlets in the United States, picked up the story, bringing Daniel’s fight to a national audience.
Capitalizing on this extensive media coverage, I implemented a relentless social media strategy that engaged critical national stakeholders, including the US Soccer Foundation, the US State Department, and professional soccer players. With support for Daniel’s cause growing across the country, public pressure on the OHSAA to modify its participation rules reached a crescendo.
The campaign was a resounding success. After several weeks of sustained media attention and the engagement of several high-profile stakeholders, the OHSAA modified its eligibility rules, enabling Daniel to play his final season of high school soccer at Withrow. The change not only allowed Daniel to complete his high school soccer career but also set an impactful precedent for future refugee student athletes in the state of Ohio.
The campaign united the Ohio soccer community and ignited a national conversation on inclusivity in youth sports. It stands as a testament to the impact of grassroots advocacy and strategic media relations, showing how a well-executed campaign can drive meaningful policy change, engage national stakeholders, and positively impact marginalized communities.
