by Maddie Clark

Traditionally, children are taught their ABCs before they begin writing. When it comes to sports, however, most kids just go right into playing without having the skills to do so, and this is not the proper way to go about it, said Abayomi “Yomi” Awodesu, founder and president of the Germantown Soccer Club.

Founded in 2010, the Germantown Soccer Club strives to bring the fundamental skills of soccer to children within the local community.

Though most of the kids involved in the club receive scholarships, participation in the recreational team costs $25 a month, while the travel team requires about $500 a month.

As part of its outreach goal, the soccer club also has a program at the Emlen School in Mt. Airy.

“Most of the parents in the area are working – it’s not easy to bring their kids like you see in the suburbs, so now we have to go to the schools,” Awodesu said.

Using his African heritage, Awodesu implements the use of afrobeat music with his soccer teachings at Emlen.

“Afrobeat music is basically percussion – I see that kids have interest with that,” Awodesu said.

According to Awodesu, the rhythm and technique involved in playing music translates to the skills necessary to play soccer. This is also another way for the kids to learn how to play together harmoniously, Awodesu said .

Awodesu said that he hopes to continue the club’s outreach to local schools now that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia have partnered with them. So, in addition to soccer, the children can also learn to play basketball and baseball. The Germantown Boys & Girls Club is even starting to include sports like field hockey for the fall season.

While the price may vary depending on which programs the children are involved in, the Boys & Girls Clubs are generally very affordable, with some programs only costing $10 for the entire year.

Sean Riley, athletic director of the Wissahickon Boys & Girls Club, shares the same philosophy as Awodesu, believing that kids should be taught the basics before beginning any sport.

“In America, a lot of parents just throw their kids into [a sport] and just let them play, which defeats the purpose,” Riley said. “I think that’s what’s wrong with youth sports in today’s American tradition of playing sports.”

With Riley’s basketball program, IQ, Sports, Performance and Training, he gets down to the basics with a focus on footwork, balance, the fundamentals of dribbling, shot mechanics and so on.

“Piece by piece, it all starts to fit together,” said Riley.

At the same time, most of these children are also playing soccer. Though these sports seem quite different on the outside, the skills that the children get from one sport carry into others.

Riley, Awodesu, as well as the Unit Director for the Wissahickon location, Daniel Kelchner, and the Anderson Monarchs want to have a program that includes baseball, basketball and soccer all year round where kids, K-2, are taught the fundamentals of the games.

This is a tactic that the Anderson Monarchs, a sports-based youth program that caters to underprivileged children in South Philadelphia, has already included in its program.

With its combined partnership, Riley’s program, IQ, Sports, Performance and Training will cover the basketball side, Awodesu with the Germantown Soccer Club will handle soccer and the Anderson Monarchs will be responsible for baseball.

These three programs are starting to work with kids at the Boys & Girls Clubs and other schools around the area like Emlen. As the program progresses, the children will then be put in leagues that these three branches create.

Even though Riley and Awodesu are focused on sports, both men share the view that children can only participate in sports if their grades are up to par.

“In order for to be able to participate in the next sports season, report card has to reflect, Riley said. “Every marking period we have kids check in with their report cards.”

Along with acting as a haven for sports practices and games, academic discipline is also instilled in the children at the Boys & Girls Clubs where positive and productive outlets are available to the local students every day and after school. Not only does the club offer basketball, soccer and baseball, it offers other activities, such as knitting, yoga, literary circles and STEM programs.

College students from schools like Villanova, Drexel Med and La Salle also come to the clubs to help the children with their homework after school.

Whether it be involving sports or school work. Awodesu and Riley always put the community first.

“From the first day I met Yomi, he always preached Germantown, let’s do this for Germantown,” Riley said. “It was never about money, it was never about fame or personal glory for himself or his actual program, but more for the work that he was putting in. I saw that, and I wanted to emulate the same thing.”

And that he did.