Story-Soccer coach

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I will never forget the first movement that I felt from my daughter, Isabella, during my wife's pregnancy. It was....HER FIRST KICK. I felt extreme joy and thought, "She'll be a footballer"

Then I remembered that I have been working with children for more than 25 years in physical education. and realized that she wouldn’t be a footballer right away.

She would have to develop her gross and fine motor skills. She would also have to develop her cognitive, emotional and social skills as these skills work together to make a football star.

I also realized that being a football star did not have to be the goal.  I wanted her to be very active, confident, kind, curious, respectful, responsible, optimistic, perseverant , creative, and compassionate --and these values can all be learned through the game.

I have fostered these values through physical activities with hundreds and hundreds of students and football players in Colombia, why not develop them in the children of Canada?

Why Futbolito at lunchtime or after school?

After more than 10 years of volunteering in physical education classes in some public schools in Toronto and York Region  and coaching soccer  with community clubs such as York Jets SC, Dixie SC, Woodbridge SC, Richmond Hill, Bradford SC, Sigma Academy and Barcelona Academy/Escola.  I have noticed that the majority of the students needed to improve their gross motor skills. Not exercising doesn't just affect physical appearance, but it also reduces bone density, increases the risk of several preventable diseases and weakens the immune system.

Children should do 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

A light went on in my head. I can offer a program during lunch recess which is 40 minutes or after school where I can include physical literacy, activities to learn values through play and introduce the game that I love-- “Soccer”- Futbolito, which I played in the morning in the afternoon and at night back home. I knew that  without a doubt, these lunchtime and after school programs will contribute to the physical, emotional, social and overall well-being of every participant.

 Today we have had the opportunity to offer the program as a Special Interest Service Provider in several schools in the York Region District School Board as well as in Mind-Tech Montessori School in Markham-where I also teach Physical Education.