Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Tijuana's down syndrome soccer team to compete in Lima

These moms used to keep the kids in the house all day.

There are 50 students, but just 12 of them will fly to Peru. - Image by Crisstian Villicana
There are 50 students, but just 12 of them will fly to Peru.

The Diestro Soccer Down team, composed of Tijuana athletes with Down Syndrome, will represent Mexico in the World Championship Futsal Down in Lima Peru next month.

According to Cristian Acosta, director and coach of Soccer Down, the team started four years ago at El Romero Manzo field in the Otay area. Acosta got inspired by one of his friends that has Down Syndrome.

Acosta noticed how the sport can help them out on a social level.

He noticed how the sport can help them out on a social level. The only obstacle to their growth was Covid; now, there are 50 students with different skills and ages, but just 12 of them will fly to Peru.

The expenses to make it to the World Cup – from uniforms to air tickets –will be raised through events, raffles, or competitions.

Sponsored
Sponsored
“We are struggling a bit with uniforms."

“We are struggling a bit with uniforms; we found some support with businessmen from town because we don’t like how the government manages inclusion. We’ll be leaving on March 30 and we still have issues with buying flights for two players. Every player on the team needs $1,500 USD, so we are constantly coming up with ideas to gather money or get sponsored.”

Before their departure to Peru they’ll have a chance to prove themselves in a regional game that will take place in Tijuana from March 21 to March 25. Josue Navarro, one of Acosta's students, showed to be excited.

Sometimes Acosta pays the coaches from his own pockets.

“I feel so happy to go to a World Cup. We want to bring the cup home. I want everyone with the syndrome to get motivated because we can have bigger and bigger dreams.”

Acosta dreams of having a school. Most of the players are not studying.

The coaches are being paid by fundraising, but sometimes Acosta pays from his own pockets. He charges families 300 pesos ($15 USD) monthly,

"I have so many more magical moments with these kids."

“Moms that used to keep the kids in their house all day. They can’t take them out, except to the soccer field.

"I have been told: 'I’d never seen my son doing that.' Some mothers are learning that their sons have not the limitations they thought.”

For Silvia Navarro, mother of Josue, one of the team’s select players, explained that she was one of those mothers that kept her son at home just helping her around the house, but now Silvia has changed her mind about giving Josue more freedom and trust.

“They are pretty capable, I would like to see more parents bringing their kids, and not just to play soccer, they also can dance or do basketball. Imagine how many talents are hidden in their houses.”

Acosta: “If people get informed and change their perspective regarding this syndrome, doors of inclusion will be more open for these kids. We think we learn more from them than them from us. I have so many more magical moments with these kids than ever in my years of coaching.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Could this be Queen Bee’s last North Park fab fair?

Developers eye site, but historical designation may stop them
Next Article

Could this be Queen Bee’s last North Park fab fair?

Developers eye site, but historical designation may stop them
There are 50 students, but just 12 of them will fly to Peru. - Image by Crisstian Villicana
There are 50 students, but just 12 of them will fly to Peru.

The Diestro Soccer Down team, composed of Tijuana athletes with Down Syndrome, will represent Mexico in the World Championship Futsal Down in Lima Peru next month.

According to Cristian Acosta, director and coach of Soccer Down, the team started four years ago at El Romero Manzo field in the Otay area. Acosta got inspired by one of his friends that has Down Syndrome.

Acosta noticed how the sport can help them out on a social level.

He noticed how the sport can help them out on a social level. The only obstacle to their growth was Covid; now, there are 50 students with different skills and ages, but just 12 of them will fly to Peru.

The expenses to make it to the World Cup – from uniforms to air tickets –will be raised through events, raffles, or competitions.

Sponsored
Sponsored
“We are struggling a bit with uniforms."

“We are struggling a bit with uniforms; we found some support with businessmen from town because we don’t like how the government manages inclusion. We’ll be leaving on March 30 and we still have issues with buying flights for two players. Every player on the team needs $1,500 USD, so we are constantly coming up with ideas to gather money or get sponsored.”

Before their departure to Peru they’ll have a chance to prove themselves in a regional game that will take place in Tijuana from March 21 to March 25. Josue Navarro, one of Acosta's students, showed to be excited.

Sometimes Acosta pays the coaches from his own pockets.

“I feel so happy to go to a World Cup. We want to bring the cup home. I want everyone with the syndrome to get motivated because we can have bigger and bigger dreams.”

Acosta dreams of having a school. Most of the players are not studying.

The coaches are being paid by fundraising, but sometimes Acosta pays from his own pockets. He charges families 300 pesos ($15 USD) monthly,

"I have so many more magical moments with these kids."

“Moms that used to keep the kids in their house all day. They can’t take them out, except to the soccer field.

"I have been told: 'I’d never seen my son doing that.' Some mothers are learning that their sons have not the limitations they thought.”

For Silvia Navarro, mother of Josue, one of the team’s select players, explained that she was one of those mothers that kept her son at home just helping her around the house, but now Silvia has changed her mind about giving Josue more freedom and trust.

“They are pretty capable, I would like to see more parents bringing their kids, and not just to play soccer, they also can dance or do basketball. Imagine how many talents are hidden in their houses.”

Acosta: “If people get informed and change their perspective regarding this syndrome, doors of inclusion will be more open for these kids. We think we learn more from them than them from us. I have so many more magical moments with these kids than ever in my years of coaching.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

A rope course designed to resemble the Giant Dipper at Belmont Part

Maruta Gardner Playground - a parent's playground
Next Article

Clikatat Ikatowi returns to the Casbah for October 8 show

Venue saw the band’s last performance over a quarter century ago
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader