Coaches,
You might be thinking, what is a soccer mission trip? My brother, Mark, is the director of a soccer club (The Christian Union Sports Club) in Medellin, Colombia, South America. The club takes children and youth who cannot afford to be on a soccer team, puts them on a team, and gives them the chance to play the world's greatest game!
Over the last ten years, I have been going down to Medellin every summer to help with the club. This is where this becomes a mission trip for you and me. We go down to do the following things: work on the actual physical grounds of the soccer complex, go into the neighborhoods of the soccer teams to help the CUSC coaches lead practice sessions with their teams, work with the soccer coaches on developing training sessions, train or assist with training their elite selection teams, help with the construction of a church they are building in one neighborhood, and lead Bible studies (if you desire) with the coaches or teams.
In the past, I have not had enough players to fill a team. I had seven boys and four girls from Blythewood go last summer. I want to take 14-18 boys and 14-18 girls this summer. We could be "Team South Carolina!" Teams have gone down from other states. Besides doing the work listed above, teams receive training everyday, play games vs the CUSC select teams, and sometimes have been able to play in tournaments vs other select teams from the city.
The soccer complex has three fields, a dormitory with space for 40 players, along with a cafeteria, restrooms, locker rooms, and laundry facilities. It is beautiful!
It is not required that coaches go on the trip, if you have players going, but it is an incredible experience. I highly recommend you come one time. The attached flyer has information about the trip this summer. Please forward it to all the players on your contact list. Let me know about any questions you have.
Sincerely,
Peter Wittig
Blythewood HS Boys Varsity Soccer Coach
pwittig@richland2.org
