TAMPA, Florida. – To spread the love of soccer and keep kids playing soccer in their communities, several Tampa Bay organizations have come together to donate soccer balls and their time to children in need this week.
Sometimes a passion for a sport starts with simply kicking a ball around.
“My dad got me into soccer. He did that when I was growing up. We worked in the fields and everything, that was a time for them to leave the stress behind and just have fun with friends and family,” says Urieo Cerro, a former competitive soccer player at the school.
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Cerro now enjoys games with his younger siblings, who this week had the unique opportunity to learn soccer tips and drills from professional athletes. Players from the Tampa Bay Sun Football Club, who just played their inaugural game last weekend, came to spend time with aspiring soccer players in the community.
“Tampa Bay deserves a professional women’s team. I’m very happy and glad to be a part of one. I’m glad we were able to give them that,” said Ashley Orkus, goalkeeper for Tampa Bay Sun FC.
The Sun, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Tampa Catholic soccer team, in partnership with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, donated 300 soccer balls to children in need, including some immigrant families.
“I think sports are good for kids in many ways. It obviously teaches them the value of a work ethic, focusing on something and overcoming adversity,” says Shawn Eckley, assistant coach of the Tampa Catholic High School boys soccer team.
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His student-athletes participated in giving back to their community.
As part of the athletic commission’s “Replay Tampa Bay” initiative, the Tampa Catholic team and Sun players set up goals, ladders and drills to teach dozens of them at the Catholic Charities San Jose Mission in Dover. The setting of the event reminded some of how they got into the sport.
“Growing up, I played in the church league. I was the worst, most untrained striker you’ve ever seen. I hated running. But I loved soccer and I was about eight. We had no substitutes in a game and they threw me in goal. That stuck and I’ve been there ever since,” Orkus said of her beginnings as a goalkeeper.
Children from toddlers to teenagers practiced their skills and shared a love of sports and their favorite playgrounds.
“Cinco is like a little soccer field where we go play and I hang out with friends and stuff. Soccer just brings everyone together,” said Andrew Jenkins, a 17-year-old high school student who attended the event.
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The organizers hope that the children don’t forget that football is for everyone. Cerro also wants to keep competitive sports in his family.
“I really hope they do. My brother currently plays for Plant City Lancers and so does my little one. He will be a starter. This is his first year too,” Cerro said.
Replay Tampa Bay began in 2011 as an annual sporting goods drive. They collect new and used sporting goods and donate them to local communities to help kids participate in sports.
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