Soccer is more than a sport for Jose Gonzales.
The volunteer youth soccer coach has played the sport since childhood in his native Mexico. He says that time spent playing the game kept him out of dire trouble while growing up.
Gonzales taught his sons, who are now adults, the game. And he’s been bringing his passion for soccer to a boys youth program in Roswell since 2009 through the city’s Recreation and Parks department.
Gonzales serves on Roswell’s Recreation Commission and has coached youth teams from adolescent to age 18 at East Roswell Park. Most players are Latino and grow up in moderate- to lower-income households, the coach said, and compete against teams in other communities.
Gonzales is part coach, mentor, father and supporter to players, Councilman Will Morthland said. The coach has often paid the $130 registration fees for players whose families cannot afford it, officials said.
Gonzales’s program has been an alternative to the more expensive and competitive youth recreational programs of the Roswell Soccer Club, which also partners with the Recreation and Parks department.
About four years ago, the coach added a squad of about 30 players who are aging out of the youth program. He runs practices and scrimmages amongst players ages 19-22 as a pathway to continue to guide them into adulthood.
Gonzales says soccer play for the young adults is essential.
“… I wanted to give them (the 19-22 year olds) an opportunity to still play. Because if they stop playing that could lead to destructive behavior. That could be a tragedy,” he said.
Excessive alcohol and gang violence are choices that the coach wants to help youth avoid, he added.
“If we can hold on to them for a few more years, it helps,” he said of the players.
At times, the coach has the older team practicing at one end of the field and the younger team practicing at the other end, he said.
The soccer season runs similar to the months of the school year, starting in August. The program takes a break from November through February and continues again March through May.
During off-season, Gonzales frequently informs players through posts on social media when he’s holding a practice on the soccer field.
“Jose is just trying to keep these kids active and out of trouble,” Morthland said.
In early July, Gonzales gathered 11 players at East Roswell Park for a practice, and a visit with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
On the field, the coach re-enforces the fundamentals of soccer, teamwork and communication which helps them in life, the players said.
David Kangni, 15, plays soccer at Centennial High School and in the past has played in the Roswell Soccer Club program. He said he frequently comes to Gonzalez’s practices to improve his outlook on himself and soccer.
“Sometimes I have bad games for my team and he invites me to come and play,” Kangni said of the coach. “I come here and have fun and I get confidence.”
Kangni and the other players say Gonzales teaches them resilience.
Jesus Lopez, 20, started on the youth team at age 16 and now plays on the scrimmage team.
“My basic skills get better and my confidence goes up,” Lopez said. “(Coach) tells us, ‘No matter what, don’t give up.’ During the youth tournaments, he gives rides and pays for food. He gives us free tickets to Atlanta United games.”
The coach said his long-term goal is to form a league for the young adult players and have them play in tournaments similar to the teenage players.
Gonzales, who owns a pool cleaning and supply business, said soccer kept him out of danger when he was a teenager and young adult.
“I could have died a few times if it wasn’t for my love for playing,” he said. “You play soccer in Mexico because it’s the only thing that you can afford. You play on the streets. You play on dirt. You play wherever.”
The picturesque soccer fields at East Roswell Park recently underwent a $2 million makeover. Gonzales cut the ribbon to reopen the fields with Mayor Kurt Wilson and officials in May.
During the three month renovation, soccer practice was held at impromptu locations, the coach said: tennis courts, baseball fields and corners of multipurpose fields.
“I tell (the players) all the time, ‘You guys don’t know how lucky you are to have these fields, the lights, this infrastructure,’” Gonzales said.
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