Soccer Coaches Offer Camp to Keep Kids Active, Fit Over Summer

When one takes life to the simplest of stages, one figures life is about two things: Being happy and making others happy.

That’s the approach that a few San Bruno AYSO coaches have taken this summer, volunteering their time to a growing group of roughly 30 kids. The reason—just for the love of the game.

While AYSO runs all year long, the coaches have gathered kids from different ages after getting e-mails from a few parents who weren’t able to afford having their kids to sign up and play. Others just wanted to keep their kids active, according to volunteer coach Alfonso Esqueda. 

The coaches decided to do it twice a week, with the only requirements being to bring your own gear, water and soccer ball.

Coach Roberto Alvarado, a South San Francisco High alum who also played college soccer at Fresno State, likes to emphasize the importance of keeping kids fit and active.

“Not everybody can afford to go to summer camp,” Alvarado said. “The kids wanna play and they like being here, so we just try to teach them basic skills and keep it fun for them.”

On Tuesdays and Fridays, kids from ages 8 to 13 show up to from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to let loose and play.

A typical day includes stretching and warming up for the first 15 minutes, dribbling drills around cones set on the grass and then set up for shooting drills from different distances before they’re broken up into different teams for a scrimmage.

“They all come here to play,” Alvarado said. “They’re young and want to play and have fun, but at the same time, every time they come they learn something.”

Alvarado also gives them "homework," which consists of ball-shielding, ball-to-wall exercises and basic dribbling drills they can practice at home.

“If you think about it, that’s all kids do in Europe,” he said. “They dribble and play consistently, but they have fun while they’re at it and that is what makes them good. They get the repetition, and they do it time and time again because it’s fun for them.”

“The best part is seeing them learn,” said Brian Campbell, who played forward at South San Francisco High, and Fresno State. “They’re young so they pick it up pretty quick.”

Omar Esquivel, brings his son Omar Jr. to the park every Tuesday and Friday hoping to enjoy a bonding experience.

“I get off from work at five—I work in Redwood City—so I drive back home, pick him up and help out here until we’re done,” said Esquivel, 28. “I like being here with him because it’s more than just supporting him. It’s actually playing the sport with him, which makes it more fun for both.”

“I’ve learned to run harder, run every game, shoot better and always give it a 110 percent,” Marc Esqueda, 10, said before joining a team for a scrimmage on a recent afternoon. “I enjoy practice because we always learn something new.”

Nine-year old Matthew Giroux has already acquired some tricks up his sleeve—or better yet, some tricks with his feet.

“I learned how to step over the ball, then pull it back towards me and lift it,” he said. “It doesn’t work all the time. I just need more practice.”

The time for practice looks promising, as the coaches look forward to keeping the lessons going as long as kids keep coming. Alvarado plans to take the kids on a field trip to an MLS game on July 2, when the San Jose Earthquakes host the New York Red Bulls at Stanford University.