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THE MINDS BEHIND THE VISION
OUR FOUNDERS
​Fiordaliza Marte-Peras​
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Fiordaliza Marte-Peras is a career educator with 24 years of experience in NYC public schools, having served as a teacher, instructional coach, and, entering her 10th year as an assistant principal in a NYC DOE school.
Alongside her work in education, she is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Brooklyn Access Sports Alliance (BASA), a Brooklyn-based nonprofit that partners with community sports organizations to connect athletes with higher-level training, resources, and competitive pathways.
BASA’s mission, “Building alliances. Expanding access. Creating pathways.” reflects Fiordaliza’s broader commitment to opening doors for young people, both in the classroom and on the field.
Hector Meléndez
Co-Founder & Sports Organizer
Héctor’s story with New York City began in 1977, when he arrived in the Los Sures neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, then enduring deep urban, industrial, and socioeconomic crisis. He found his greatest inspiration in his father, Héctor Meléndez, a prominent Los Sures community leader who helped establish the Borinquen Senior Center,
co-founded the South Side Mission with the local Catholic church, and fought relentlessly for better housing and community development.
Guided by that legacy, Héctor joined AmeriCorps VISTA in 1997, launching his career in community organizing and tenant advocacy at 44 Morgan Avenue. In 2005, brothers Juan and Delfino Colt asked for his help starting a soccer league in an area where fields were scarce but passion for the game ran deep. He went on to found the United Soccer League of Brooklyn, an inclusive league open to all regardless of nationality, race, or religion.
Today, Héctor serves as Co-Founder and Sports Organizer for Brooklyn Access Sports Alliance (BASA), continuing his lifelong commitment to serving Brooklyn’s communities through sport.
"LOCAL TEAM TODAY. SOMETHING BIGGER TOMORROW."
BUILT FROM BELIEF.
CARRIED FORWARD BY COMMUNITY.
BASA began with a shared belief in the power of sport to create confidence, connection, and opportunity. What started with a commitment to young athletes continues to grow through the families, coaches, partners, and supporters who believe in what is possible.
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