Late one night online, while looking for youth soccer volunteer opportunities online, I came across this online posting for a U-12/U-16 Boys Head Soccer Coach with South Bronx United.
Coach and manage a team of talented boys from the South Bronx as they play with other teams from New York City. Our club provides these opportunities free to local youth and thus relies on volunteers…The experience is extremely rewarding for interested individuals. The black-and-white picture in the banner section of the website featured largely black and Latino kids posing for pictures, practicing drills and playing in games.
The picture reminded me of my time as the only black player for my own neighborhood soccer team, the Spanish Action Coalition, as part of the Flower City Soccer League in my hometown of Rochester, New York.I frequently think of my time playing for the Spanish Action Coalition as the most enjoyable I’ve ever had playing soccer, and while I had never worked as an actual coach before I contacted South Bronx United right away.
After e-mailing Andrew, one of the coaches for South Bronx United, I received an e-mail back letting me know that they were interested in having me help out as a volunteer coach. In addition to a U-12 and U-16 team, they also have a U-19 team and development team in need of assistant coaches.
Unfortunately, the threat of snow canceled the first practice that I was slated to attend this Saturday. This blog will detail my experiences evolving as a coach and documenting the players and coaches I meet with South Bronx United.
The name of the blog will be “The Bronx is Kickin’” as a play against the popular, yet regrettable phrase, “The Bronx is Burning.” I am hoping to include my multimedia package as part of a larger or companion piece of multimedia content on youth sports in New York City in general, with photo slideshows, audio podcast interviews, interactive graphics and video content.
By creating this multimedia package on this theme, I’m hoping to make a sport that is often associated with white suburbia vibrant and present for inner-city youth and those who may not know the capacity that soccer has for socializing lower-income children who may or may not be first-generation Americans.
With the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa this coming June I am hoping that this blog will continue to have an international flair that readers will respond to over the next five months.
