Family Soccer

When we first moved to Colomba, we were desperate to find anything at all for our kids to participate in outside of our house. We felt trapped inside, as there are no local parks or organized activities. When we discovered the city gym was open in the afternoons, we all began showing up and playing soccer with whoever was there. An old soccer coach began leading the time for donations, and a community soccer program was formed. When we moved back to Colomba in January of 2025, we were sad to find that this program had fallen apart, and the original coach now found himself with severe health problems that prevented him from being able to lead it. 

So we decided we would keep the program alive! We found a new soccer coach - Coach Antony, and reserved the city gym Monday-Friday from 3-5pm. We pay the coach and invite all of Colomba to participate for free. It’s our way of blessing the community, and also creating a job for Antony. 

We love it because it keeps our family active, and also provides us with an opportunity to make new friends. The format is 45 minutes of warm up and drills all together, and then we break up into groups for 30 minutes of scrimmage - kids first, then adults. 

There is one other youth soccer program running in Colomba, but the cost inhibits most children from being able to participate. It is also a competitive program, while ours is friendly in nature. We mix up the teams every time we scrimmage, and think of ourselves as one giant group, rather than competing teams. The current mix of people attending regularly includes families, young kids, and teens whose parents work in the central market nearby.