Local kids set to escort World Cup players onto the field in rare opportunity

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Scoring a seat at a FIFA World Cup match is a thrill for any fan, but 20 children from the Philadelphia region are getting something far more memorable: the chance to walk hand in hand with global soccer stars as they step onto the pitch.

For 8-year-old Cole Rivera of Harrowgate, the moment hardly feels real. "It's really exciting," he said. "I'm happy about it, and I'm totally shocked about it because I didn't know that I would have this opportunity."

Cole is part of Safe Hub, a nonprofit operating in Kensington that brings soccer to children in underresourced neighborhoods. Ten participants from the program will escort players ahead of tonight's World Cup matchup between France and Iraq.

"I'm going to see like real soccer players! Because they are like really famous and it's fun to see them watching them play," Cole said.

Elizabeth Clinton, development manager at Safe Hub, said the experience reinforces a message they try to instill in every child. "What we always try to tell our kids, and communicate, is that you're deserving of everything that every other child is deserving of," she said. "But just the fact that these opportunities are there, and available to them... and it's going to be incredible."

For 11-year-old Isaac Thillet, the significance isn't lost. "I learned it's rare to have this experience as a kid. I'm actually very excited for it," he said. Still, he admitted some nerves. "I'm definitely going to be nervous," he said, explaining that being in front of "over 100 people" feels overwhelming. When told the crowd would be in the tens of thousands, he laughed but held onto his excitement.

Along with the walkout experience, the children will receive a full soccer kit - uniforms and boots they can keep - though organizers say the real value is the moment itself.

The opportunity marks a milestone for the young fans, one they say they'll remember long after the final whistle.