Challenges urban kids in underserved communities face in youth soccer

I walked into a place that I visited frequently years ago but now seems so strange. The last time I been to the office was a couple of years ago. The office was a narrow, small, multiple story housing building. There is only one apartment in each floor. South Bronx United offices took over the first three floors. The first floor was the main office. This is where Andrew small office. The office was as small as a closet but was big enough to fit him and myself. When I walked in, I was expecting a big welcome from everyone. But it was just a lot of confused new faces. The office was the setup but the employees were different. It was only two familiar faces and one of them was Andrew. Andrew was still in his same office with the same laptop in the same position. He was wearing a light blue button up shirt with black pants and black shoes. He welcomed me with a big smile and hug.

Mr. Andrew So has been a coach for more than a decade. He has been very involved in the NYC youth soccer subculture. He has spent most of his evenings and weekends on a soccer pitch. He has many experience with different type of teams and youth. So he is very knowledgeable on the subculture itself and the people in it. He is now the executive director of the soccer club he has founded with hundreds of soccer athletes.

(summary)
What are some of the challenges you see players you’ve coached face?

The youth in the South Bronx have to face many challenges that many kids from other demographics don’t encounter in their communities or at home. South Bronx United focus on youth who are at-risk, immigrant and first generation. The consequences of poverty is the cause of many of the problems these kids encounter. Many of the issues youth face in underserved communities can be traced back to their race. The reason why they live in an impoverished and underserved community in the first place is because of our racist society. All of these issues like hunger rates, obesity rates (bad health), bad performing schools, all connect to the racist framework of our society that give people of color a disadvantage. Racism in fact is another issue SBU players deal with on the field.

(Follow up question) How does poverty affect them?

Poverty itself brings so much other problems. From not having full parent support (which affect them emotionally and their development), to hunger. There is a lot of weight that these kids bring before they even step foot on the field. There are priced out from other clubs and any other The mission of SBU is to use these kids love for soccer as a tool to guide and support them.

What are some challenges South Bronx United players face off the field?

People in the South Bronx, not just SBU players don’t have access to resources and opportunities or the same type of resources and opportunities other communities have. There is a large immigrant population in the South Bronx and being an immigrant in the United States in itself is a challenge. The youth don’t have access to good performing schools, healthy food options and education, better guidance, which all has a negative impact on their development. There are many hardships that comes with being a kid from an impoverished family and community. There are many advantages that comes with participating in a sport but there are many factors that keep low-income kids from communities like the South Bronx to not participating in a sport like soccer.
So they are many stresses that our kids have to encounter; stresses that, for many, include gang-threats, concerns about immigration status, unhealthy diets, and any number of challenges associated with poverty, not to mention the typical teen’s worries about school, SATs, social media, dating, and parents.

What hardships do they encounter in the field because they come from these underserved communities?

It’s sad but many of the players and teams in South Bronx still have to deal with racism on the field. Many of the kids experience racism while they are playing a sport that is suppose that fun and suppose to help them escape from their hardships. They face subtle and overt racism from players and opposition parents. It’s sad but it’s the reality. I wrote a piece about this issue issue of racism and xenophobia that may be a surprise to many.

How do these obstacles like racism and xenophobia affect them?

On the field, when a kid experiences racism it can be very damaging. It can endanger the kid and everyone else on the field and on the sideline. You can only imagine what someone feels when they being judged just by their appearance. This can trigger behaviour in someone that may be uncontrollable. This can lead to violence and brawls, which is very dangerous and unfortunate for kids who are suppose to feel safe on the field.

During the interview I was very comfortable. Since we knew each other for so long, discussion was more like a conversation than an interview. But I also learned a lot because we never spoke on many of the topics we discussed. I just asked a lot of follow up questions to get him to be more specific and say more information. Also the question were meant to make it the discussion flow like a conversation. I wanted Mr. So to be as comfortable as I was. Didn’t want to make it feel like the interview. So we kind went off topic a lot. We didn’t see each other for a while so there was a lot of tangents. I also added my opinions and personal experience. For example, when he started to speak on the racism the players faced on the pitch, I told him about a time I experienced racism during a game he was coaching me. When we went on a tangent, I asked questions that brought us back to the topic. For example I would ask “When you said this in the beginning, can you tell me more?” or a more specific question that draws back to what we was talking about. I think this was a successful interview. I learned more than I expected from this interview.

Interview Questions Before

How do teammates interact with each other when they first meet compare to when they are comfortable with each other?

How long does it take for players to start getting comfortable with their teammates?

How do players interact with opponents?

Can you differentiate a soccer player in a park from other athletes or citizens?

If so, what are the indicators?

What makes soccer players different?