T10 Soccer: Futbol For All

Hi,

Have you ever made a soccer ball using a balloon, plastic bags, and yarn or played without shoes? On a dirt field while little pebbles of rock and tree branches stab the sole of your foot? My name is Toyi Anaclet, and I was born in a refugee camp in Kigoma, Tanzania. Growing up, I spent most of my days playing barefoot with a ball I made from a balloon and plastic bags wrapped around with yarn. In 2007, my family left everything behind and moved to the United States to start a new life. We landed in Chicago and quickly had to adjust to the new environment. My parents had to get jobs, and my siblings and I enrolled in school. In the beginning, we faced many challenges, like many other immigrants. We moved to find a better life and had to learn the language, adjust to the new culture, develop new relationships, and find a way to earn a living. Despite all the challenges that we were facing, there was one thing that I quickly recognized: people in America love playing Soccer.

For the first time in 17 years, I will be going to Burundi and seeing family and friends that we left behind all those years ago. I want to make this trip memorable and give back to the kids by giving them the resources to play the beautiful game. I remember playing with a ball made from a balloon and plastic bags wrapped with yarn, playing all day with no shoes on a dirt field from sunrise to sunset. I was fortunate enough to move to a country where I could continue playing soccer on turf and grass fields with the sport's best equipment. I want to offer the kids back home the same experience with the "T10 Soccer Experience project". The event will occur from July 9th - 20th in Kinama, Bujumbura. A total of 40 players: 20 players between the ages of 7-9 years old and 20 players from the ages of 10-14 years old. The 40 players will have two practices a week, with a match day on the weekend where families, friends, and everyone in the community can watch. The older kids will train on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the younger group will train on Thursday and Friday. I will provide all the players with pre-training snacks and after-training meals for the two weeks. On the last day of the program, a celebration with all the participants will take place, and I will give out school supplies: Notebooks, backpacks, pens, a soccer jersey, and a soccer ball. I will donate all the equipment used for this project to the school so they can continue training and playing the beautiful game. I am looking for support from all my family, friends, and everyone else willing to help. I plan to raise $50,000 to help cover meal costs for the 40 players over the two weeks, soccer equipment, school supplies, and to build a soccer field for the school to continue using for years after the camp ends. I will also accept soccer equipment, jerseys, shoes, and school supplies I will take to use and give out to the kids.

I can visibly remember my first day of school. I was feeling so many emotions, but the moment my class went to recess, and I saw people playing soccer, all the fears and nervousness disappeared. At my elementary school, DeWitt Clinton, there were people from all around the world with different backgrounds. Despite the school being so diverse, we all had one thing in common: we all spoke the universal language of futbol. When my class went to recess after lunch that day, and I saw all the kids from different classes playing different sports, I quickly ran to the group that was playing soccer, jumped in, and started playing.

I was excited to go to school every day because I knew I would play soccer during recess. I quickly made friends and started to adapt to my new environment. Other refugees and I came to school early and stayed late after school to play soccer. I slowly began to understand English, both from my teachers in class, as well as words and phrases I picked up from my new friends I was playing with. I continued playing soccer all through Elementary School, and when I got to high school, I realized that I wanted to take soccer seriously and see how far I could go. I spent everyday training on my own and with friends, but like most immigrant kids, my parents could not afford to pay for me to play club soccer. Fortunately, I found a small club called Powerstrikers that allowed me to play for free. I continued to develop my skills, and after my junior year, I got a job as a dishwasher at an East Indian vegetarian restaurant which allowed me to save enough money to pay the fees required to play for the Chicago Fire Junior City. My passion for the sport continued to grow and I went on to play college soccer at DePauw University. I faced many challenges during my four years in a new environment as a first-generation student. Still, I found support in all the friendships I developed through playing soccer and joining the Sigma Chi fraternity.

My time in college went by quickly, leaving me with a Kinesiology degree, priceless memories, and friendships that will last a lifetime. I knew that I wanted to continue playing soccer and become a coach. Soccer has always been a big part of my life that I did not want to give it up. This led me to participate in a few tryouts in hopes of landing a professional contract. Through that process, I realized that I did not want to be a professional soccer player. My true passion was to give back to the youth by helping them develop their soccer skills to reach their goals, whatever they may be, and allow them to grow into better people. I started T10 Soccer to share my knowledge and help inspire people to train and take their game to the next level. I went back to Chicago Fire and began coaching in their Soccer In the Community department, and my passion for coaching grew exponentially. I have been working with an incredible coaching staff and kids of all backgrounds and abilities. Every day, I see the sport's impact on people's lives, whether young or old, black or white, able or disabled, and rich or poor. I have learned so much over the years and want to share my knowledge with people back home.

My family came to America with hopes and dreams; we have achieved and experienced so much. I am grateful for the life that this country has provided for me and my family. I cannot put into words how much it means to me to be able to go back home after so many years. I never thought I would get this opportunity, but if there is one thing I've learned from all the years of playing and coaching soccer, it is that everything is possible. I alone cannot make this happen, but with your help, we can provide the kids with an experience they will never forget. Please donate if you can, share with everyone you know, and let's make this happen. Donors will be able to check on the progress of this project by following T10Soccer on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Thank you for your donation, and may god bless you.

Best, Toyi.