The Clubhouse Café is a social enterprise coffee shop operated by South Bronx United, a nonprofit community organization that was founded 2009. SBU uses soccer as a tool for social change, and impacts more than 1,700 youth and families every year through community soccer programs and the SBU Academy, providing academic enrichment, college prep, mentoring, workforce development, immigration legal services, and other family supports. Since 2011, 100% of SBU Academy student-athletes have graduated high school, and 94% have matriculated into college.

The Clubhouse Café is an important part of SBU’s Workforce Development Program, which provides real-world job training for young people ages 16-24. The program helps participants build job skills, cultivate a potential career, and secure long-term employment through weekly workshops and on-the-job training. During a six-month cohort, program fellows are employed either in the Café as baristas and food/hospitality staff (Café Fellowship) or on the soccer field as coaches and mentors (the Coaching Corps). Ultimately, the program aims to help fellows gain full-time employment either in food service and hospitality or sports; transition into a training program for another career of interest; or start or continue full-time higher education.