Football Runs In My Blood

Alexis Bedolla, New York, USA

Goal Click teamed up with New York City FC to tell the inside story of the New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI), building 50 mini soccer pitches in communities across the five New York City boroughs with partners from the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, U.S. Soccer Foundation, adidas, and Etihad Airways. Youth participants aged 8-23 told the story of their own football life, street soccer culture, and the impact of the pitches on their communities.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your football life?

My name is Alexis Bedolla. I am of Mexican descent, so football runs in my blood. I started to play football when I was just 11 years old, now I'm 23. I play in Saturday and Sunday leagues. I do some coaching at Middle School and High School level.

Who is in these photos? Do any of them have interesting stories?

The kids in the photos are from the middle school I work in (Middle School 127 in The Bronx). I have had some interesting stories over the years working there. Recently a kid from Senegal entered the program and he only was fluent in his native language and French. Quickly he started to learn Spanish and English and I say it in that order because he found Spanish a lot easier than English. He learned through the friends he made during soccer, now he knows four languages. He's the captain of our team and hungry to win this year’s championship. 

The 6th grade recess scrimmage at Middle School 127's Mini Soccer Pitch. Teams are quickly made and the game is on within seconds. This is also a chance for newcomers as well.  Many come prepared - they wear their soccer shoes like it is a part of their uniform. Whenever they start to play, it brings a lot of attention because of the intensity of the game and the occasional nutmeg. Soccer pulls in kids that are willing to try something new and try the sport out. I saw how quickly everyone knew each other. Many of them want to keep the game even, so they bring kids that want to play from the sidelines.

The kid on the right with the adidas shirt, Saleh, is one of our many prospects and the second generation of his family to join this year’s soccer team. Saleh is very friendly and he told me how he was teaching the other kid how to play soccer. As I watched them practice it got me thinking how some kids are natural leaders and how some grow to be a leader through the sport.

This is during our soccer team's practice. Like any other soccer team ritual they gather around each other before a game. Some pep talk is involved and the captain explains roles to each player. I thought about how diverse the team is and how the sport brings them together to play as one.

It's a moment in time that reflects how the kids feel about the game and how they support one another as a team. Being in a circle of life I see how it all comes back to you. Having a team of supportive players would give anyone the motivation to always give their best on and off the field, knowing your teammate has your back. This is one of the reasons I do what I do. I never had that bond with a team at that age, nor did I have a team back in middle school. A lot of the kids I coached before always bring back memories about when they use to play together.

This reminds me of the many times seeing how badly the kids beat up their soccer shoes right before they throw them out. Me and a few other coaches over the years have given the kids new shoes from time to time. But that’s not the only thing we have to keep on replacing. The soccer ball, ours last about 3 weeks or so. Two of the things these kids treasure the most when playing…Our program director doesn’t believe us when we tell her we need new ones. But it’s due to the concrete floor from the playground.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

I tried to show the birth of the sport at a young age. When kids don't have a care in the world in these moments, all their focus is on the ball and putting it in the net. As I took these photos I thought about the countless stories that would be made during these quick pick up games. 

Can you tell us your personal story?

My family moved to The Bronx from Puebla, Mexico when I was 3 years old. I went to Castle Hill, where I am now coaching the Middle School’s soccer team. When I was a kid we used to have family barbecues in Pelham Bay Park and I would play football. I played in lots of places around the neighborhood – the basketball courts, playgrounds, and jungle gyms. None of them were soccer fields. To practice I would set up drills using trash cans, trees, gates and other targets.

Why is football important for your community?

I think every kid should have a sport that they love and inspires them to become better and better. Some get discouraged from playing certain sports because of the demands, but I feel that soccer is more accepting and more humble with giving others the chance to rise up and learn from their mistakes. Many of the parents of the kids in the community don't like them playing sport because they think they should focus in school, but showing the kids how to have a balance with anything that they do betters them for the future. Some kids also don't have that sense of family at home and providing them with this sense teaches them positive qualities and supports their growth. 

What does football mean to you? What ambitions do you have for the future?

Now that I am a bit older, I see how the sport has saved me in some ways from making many mistakes. It has taught me many things about life that you don't learn from just reading a book - patience, determination, character, integrity, and much more. It helped me connect with so many others and learn from them. The sport made me want to be a better version of myself mentally and physically - the key essentials in any footballer. My ambition is to keep on providing for my community and city as much I can and keep on making connections so that others can make it where I never could. 

What impact has the NYCSI programme had on you?

The program created opportunities for the kids of NYC in creating safer places to play in their local areas and made the sport more accessible. Back in my country the game didn't have the nets and safe places. Having the goals and pitch set up makes it easy for anyone to join. This also creates new opportunities down the line for programs to start their own local soccer team as well.  

What do you think the future looks like for soccer in New York and the USA? What do you want to change?

I see that the sport is being more accepting and more accessible through the teams such as NYCFC giving back to the community. It shows you how they care about the youth. In the USA it's growing slowly but surely. If I had one thing to change it would be to have competitive soccer throughout middle schools around NYC. Not only will that increase the popularity of the sport, but more kids at a younger age will get into it as well. So much talent goes unnoticed and sometimes goes to waste because the kids didn't have the proper coaching to get them the right connections.