Show Up. Kick a Ball. Have a Croissant.- In Conversation with Soccer and Croissants

There is a small circular pitch in Brooklyn with a large hole near midfield. Every Sunday morning, somewhere between a torn croissant and a group stretch, someone shouts a warning about it. That pitch is where Soccer and Croissants was born a football community built not on tactics or trophies, but on the simple idea that showing up is enough.

We sat down with co-founders Ella Jayes and Jordan Simone to talk about their journey, inspiration and why croissants became the bribe that started it all, and what happens when you build something that was never really about the game.

Birdie: What is the inspiration behind Soccer and Croissants?

Ella Jayes: We started in September 2022 before the Qatar World Cup. There were a lot of complicated conversations around that World Cup, and I remember thinking, okay, how can we still find the joy in the game and be excited about the connection? Can we just get our friends outside to play and be present together? I love the idea of collective effervescence, that feeling of being excited about something together. I think it's so powerful.

I've played soccer since I was four or five in Los Angeles, where I grew up, but I never considered myself an athlete. I stopped in high school because the athletic department was really intense, but the sport still shaped so much of my youth. My dad's from England, and some of my fondest memories are watching the World Cup with my parents in the streets of Spain on holiday.

I also grew up seeing the Beckhams in the tabloids (icons!!). I was never the best player, but I loved the outfits. I loved the World Cup because it was such a cool way to learn about the world and feel connected to something so big.

Jump to 2022- we started playing at Ten Eyck Playground, this tiny, weird, circular pitch across the street from my apartment in Brooklyn. At first, it was literally five of our friends in an iMessage group chat; a few months later, we maxed it out.

Our field isn't the right size. Our uniforms are inconsistent. Half the team may or may not know what offside means. Sometimes our goals were two trash cans we moved back and forth. We'd make up rules as we went, like if one team was winning, you had to close your eyes when you shot.

Getting dressed is always a huge part of it too: long socks to the knee, Sambas on the turf, vintage adidas and Nike, hoop earrings and huge sunglasses, which are admittedly less practical. It almost feels like putting on a costume. My friends joke that I started walking like a coach.

And now that I think about it, I also think we were all fueled, in some way, by people we had crushes on. Which ties into some of the collaborations we're working on now.

Jordan Simone: Soccer has always been a priority in my life. From kindergarten through college, I touched a ball at least once a week. I've spent entire summers trying to improve my juggling. One summer, my dad taped a $100 bill to our chalkboard and told me I could have it if I reached 100 juggles. That was the worst summer of my life because I was a horrible juggler, but today I could do 100 with my eyes closed, and I'm $100 richer, lol. Soccer has always been integrated into my life and has always been a means of play for me.

When I moved to New York, I immediately started looking for ways to keep playing. I bounced around between different clubs and random pickup games organized through WhatsApp.

Ella and I met while working together on the social team at Highsnobiety and became close from there. It's hard for me to remember exactly how Soccer and Croissants came together, admittedly, but what I remember most is that we played nearly every Sunday without fail. I'd hardly call what we played "soccer" considering every match we remixed the rules. We'd start matches with rock, paper, scissors. Sometimes we'd put the ball in the middle of the field and race toward it, almost like dodgeball (we still do this). Other times, everyone could only move by hopping on one foot. We were always finding ways to make the game feel playful and unexpected.

Even after Ella and I stopped working together, I still saw her every Sunday at Soccer and Croissants. It became a way for me to keep soccer integrated into my adult life, while also building routine and maintaining a friendship. That consistency and the freedom to keep reinventing the game are really what inspired it for me.

Birdie: Why croissants?

EJ: Honestly, we had to bribe people to come.

My friends were not getting up early to play soccer on Sunday mornings, so I started waking up at the crack of dawn to wait in the Nick & Sons line on Leonard Street (a local bakery with an insane NYC line). I rallied my friends one by one with the smell of fresh pastries.

Since then, we've branched out in search of the perfect croissant. Radio Bakery, La Bicyclette, and La Cabra are all serious contenders, though the mission continues. La Cabra has been my favorite for the last two years. I love getting a coffee there before we play and writing in my journal. It grounds me before we hold the space for everyone.

And croissants are also kind of the whole point. When people said, "I don't play soccer," our answer was always something along the lines of: you don't even have to play. Come sit on the bench with us. Be outside. Kick the ball around if you want. If you want a croissant, have a croissant.

JS: Why not? I've always been a Francophile for no other reason than sheer curiosity. I'm a lover of language, and I studied French for 11 or 12 years, all the way through college, where I minored in French studies.

In addition to sharing a love of soccer, Ella and I have also taken French classes together in the city. It may seem a bit arbitrary, but it has always been an important part of my life. What better representation of my love for the French language than a croissant?

Birdie: What project are you most proud of?

EJ: Honestly, it's not any of the collaborations, even though I'm so grateful for/excited about them. It's what we've learned to create with our community.

For example! I don't really know what most people do outside of the pitch.

The other day, one of our teammates, who's also a friend of mine, was looking for a PA to help her on a shoot. Someone from the team asked about it, and I realized I actually had no idea what that person did for work. But they're such a good player, so sweet, and such a good teammate on the field that I immediately thought: they'd probably be a great teammate on set too.

It's so rare in New York to meet someone and not immediately talk about what they do for work. And jobs are cool; they're a big part of our lives. But the connections and friendships we've created at Soccer and Croissants are honestly what I'm proudest of.

JS: It's not necessarily one specific project. I would say it's more of a personal commitment: ensuring that the soccer club we were building would be truly inclusive and reflect the city and the world around us.

Brooklyn and New York as a whole are incredibly diverse and multicultural, and I've always wanted our club to embody that. With the support of my lovely co-founder, we've been able to welcome and encourage people from all walks of life to play with us, across all skill levels, races & genders.

For me, diversity exists on many levels. It also means creating a space where an experienced player and someone touching a soccer ball for the first time can both feel equally welcome. It has been really exciting to see the diversity of our community reflected in our club, and that is what I'm most proud of.

Football culture scene in New York?

EJ: A lot of what exists right now is pretty competitive, AND very inspirational and cool. We just wanted to create a place where people could come hang out, play, learn about soccer, and not have it feel so high-stakes.

That's changing, though. With the World Cup coming here and the final in New York, there's so much excitement, and so many more people want to get involved with soccer.

People drive from Connecticut, the DMV, and New Jersey to play with us. People tell us, "I just moved here, but I followed you guys on Instagram, and I've been waiting to come," or, "I don't really have any friends here, and this is a good way to meet people."

Our players have ranged in age from seven to fifty-seven; shout-out to my mom.

The hard part is space. Hosting 150 people, or finding room for 300, is completely different from what we started with.

And there's also a large hole in the turf near midfield at our field. Every Sunday now starts the same way: a stretch, a torn croissant shared between friends, and a warning: MIND THE HOLE.

We'd rather tear croissants than quads or Achilles tendons, so I wrote a letter to Mayor Mamdani. The city had just filled its 100,000th pothole, and we asked if he'd fill one more. (This weekend, one of our friends from the neighborhood texted me and the NYC parks team was there fixing it! It's such a victory!)

JS: As I've become more involved in New York's football culture, I've gained a much better sense of how it operates. The first thing that comes to mind is that soccer is everywhere. Around every corner, you see someone with a ball or hear about another group organizing a game.

I spent most of my youth in Virginia Beach, where there weren't nearly as many options. There was Beach FC and Rush Soccer; that's it. Those were essentially the two clubs you could play for, and they were rivals naturally. In New York, you can find a club for almost any community or type of player, there's a space for nearly everyone.

That said, there's a lot of competition for the limited space available. It can be difficult to find safe, accessible pitches, and it often feels like the best fields are reserved for the people or organizations with the most money. Even the more affordable clubs usually come with a price tag, so there is still a financial barrier to entry.

New York has so many passionate players, but not always enough resources or space for everyone who wants to participate. Despite those challenges, the city's love for the game is undeniable. The people here care so deeply about soccer, and I don't think there's anything better than that.

Birdie: If football is more than just a game, what is it for Soccer and Croissants?

EJ: It's almost like a little town hall. All our friends come and give updates on what's going on in their lives. It's such a refreshing way to hang out, outside of going for a drink/dinner.

It's like a watercolor portrait of everyone's week. People bring whoever they've met, whoever's visiting, whoever happens to be around.

When she first moved from Paris, our friend Violette would invite everyone she met that week, so we'd end up with this completely unexpected mix of people. We had two guys from NYU who were so good at soccer and had so much patience teaching people who weren't. We had a friend from Colombia who lives in Paris and is an amazing artist.

People have joined us from Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, Canada, Tunisia, Guinea, Spain, Sweden, Nigeria, Jamaica, India, Barbados, Colombia, and beyond.

We always include everyone, no matter where they come from or how they play.

JS: It's familiarity. It's a ritual. It's a means of play and connection. It's something we've returned to consistently for four years now.

New York is so fast-paced, competitive, and, at times, anxiety-inducing. Soccer and Croissants gives us a ritual on Sundays where the expectations are on the floor. There's absolutely no pressure to be the best player on the pitch or the next Lionel Messi. You simply show up, if you have the time, and allow yourself to play. It's really not much more complicated than that.

It's also a way for us to connect regularly with people we love… whether they're friends we've known forever or new faces we met on the pitch five minutes ago. Football may be the game that brings us together, but the ritual of returning to one another every week is what makes it so meaningful.

Birdie: Players you're inspired by, and why?

EJ: I love all the characters that come out of the World Cup. I love Erling and Jude. I know that's a basic answer, but I love them.

JS: Admittedly, I've never been especially drawn to watching soccer, so my biggest inspiration was never a famous player. It was my brother, William Henry.

Growing up, he was adamant that he didn't want to play soccer. Then, within a year, he went from honorary bench-warmer to becoming the star of his team.

We even competed for that aforementioned $100 bill my dad had taped to the chalkboard. Once my brother committed to soccer, he became incredibly dedicated to the craft. He was always training at the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex in Virginia Beach, waking up early and putting in extra work. His work ethic put mine to shame. Watching how quickly he progressed was all the inspiration I needed.

I could name a famous player, but my inspiration was always the person beside me. Really, I just had to beat my brother (I never did, lol).

Birdie: Anything else you'd like to share?

JS: Stay tuned to @soccerandcroissants for our next matches.

Soccer and Croissants play every Sunday in Brooklyn.
Follow them at @soccerandcroissants