By Suzanne Schmidt
Staff Writer
In Tommy Town in Dade City, many children do not know how to dream of a better future. Two nonprofit organizations are working together to change that by starting a soccer club.
Recently Carlos Crespo, director of Cresportour 22, teamed up with Margarita Romo, executive director of Farmworkers Self Help, to form the soccer club.
Children ages 9 to 18 will be learning to play soccer while also learning about life.
“This is about teaching the kids discipline and teaching them skills,” Romo said. “We want to bring out the self we know they are. It is a tool we can use. Our kids love soccer and they are really excited about this.”
The club is a part of the Teen Dream Team program through the Farmworkers Self Help organization.
“The whole point of the Teen Dream Team is to teach kids to dream,” Romo said. “With the new club, we can use soccer as a way to teach the kids to dream beyond that field. They could become professional soccer players or referees.”
Romo said the children need something positive to look forward to since their lives are filled with so much turmoil.
“In our community, there is a lot of drugs and shootings,” Romo said. “We want them to stop thinking they need a gun and instead for them to think they need a soccer ball. We hope they will learn skills that will one day help the community.”
The program started with Rocio Paulsen, director of the Pasco/Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“When Rocio was trying to find out where the Hispanic community is in the area, David West directed her to me,” Romo said. “I showed her around and let her see what we have been doing at the park. We have been using the park to play soccer for four years, but it was very unorthodox. We have not had the ability to make it come to fruition.”
That led Paulsen to contact her father, Crespo, who was a professional soccer player and professional referee and is currently a soccer coach at Sickles High School. In the future, the club is hoping to get a female soccer coach as well.
Romo said she is hoping Crespo will provide structure the children might not be getting at home.
“Most kids don’t have a male figure at home,” Romo said. “It is good for them to see someone who is loving and kind but tough. I want to help the kids that really need the support. There are so many kids that have nothing.”
Crespo said he is looking forward to helping the children see a better future.
“This is the best way for the kids to move forward,” Crespo said. “They will learn teamwork. It is a way to form the personality of the kids; it is not just a sport. It is important for them to see a role model right in front of them and not on TV. We want the children to learn they can work hard and reach their goal.”
Jose Amateco, coach for the club, said he likes the club because it teaches children manners.
“We make sure they do not use bad language,” Amateco said. “We tell them they have to be careful of the words they use. They have to work as a team and they have to treat each other with respect.”
Paulsen said she is hoping the children will learn the game so they can one day become referees.
“It is a way for them to make money,” Paulsen said. “It can give them self-worth and self-esteem so they won’t have to depend on their parents for money.”
The biggest need is to level the field where the children are playing soccer.
“The team will be in charge of keeping the park clean,” Romo said. “It will be another way to teach them discipline. This field is their field and they will have to keep it beautiful.”
The team also needs a number of soccer supplies including soccer balls, shoes with cleats, soccer goals, lighting, a water cooler, snacks, uniforms and more.
The Hispanic Chamber is collecting used shoes with cleats to help out the program.
“We don’t need new shoes,” Paulsen said. “We are just hoping people will go into their kids closet and get the shoes they are not using anymore.”
The Team Dream Team has been around since 1987. Since then the organization has made a lot of changes in Tommy Town in Dade City including getting a health clinic set up and paving the streets. Romo said she has many plans for the future.
“I want to see a day where people will want to move here and have businesses here,” Romo said. “I would like to see this area turn into a place like Ybor City. A lot of people want to pretend like it doesn’t exist.”
For more information, visit http://fshflorida.org.
The Teen Dream Team soccer club needs:
- Soccer balls
- Shoes with cleats
- Soccer goals
- The field leveled
- Lights
- Cooler
- Snacks
- Lawn mower
- Gardening tools
- Trash cans
- Uniforms
- Benches
