On Sunday December 4th, SOLTILO FC and the Palomar Family YMCA in Escondido California hosted a free futsal clinic for young soccer players ages 6 - 1
On Sunday December 4th, SOLTILO FC and the Palomar Family YMCA in Escondido California hosted a free futsal clinic for young soccer players ages 6 – 13. The clinic was broken up into age-appropriate time slots and children from around the county came to hone their skills with SOLTILO FC Director of Coaching Brian Waltrip and three elite futsal coaches who flew in from Japan specifically for this event.
SOLTILO FC is the competitive arm of the HONDA ESTILO Company, founded by Japanese international Keisuke Honda, who currently wears the #10 shirt for legendary Italian team A.C. Milan. Honda Estilo was founded with the specific intent of providing opportunities to aspiring young soccer players all around the world to play at the highest level they are capable of.
“We are excited to be given the opportunity to work with the YMCA and would like to thank Jeff (Myers – Associate Executive Director of the YMCA) for the opportunity to do so. Our goal is to provide affordable yet professional grade futsal and soccer training to children in San Diego.
Our group, HONDA ESTILO operates 64 soccer schools with over 4,000 children in Japan, Cambodia, China, and the United States and also owns SV Horn, a professional soccer club in Austria. Our program at the YMCA will not only benefit beginners but also those who play at the club level and want to work on their individual skills.”
– Tashi Nakanishi CEO of HONDA ESTILO USA
There was certainly a wide range of attendants to the clinic. Children from a number of elite youth soccer clubs such as the Oceanside Breakers and the DMCV Sharks ran through exercises along with local neighborhood kids and regular YMCA goers.
Myers mentioned that the YMCA has a lot of work to do with respect to building trust in the Escondido area, and that partnering with the SOLTILO FC coaching group puts the YMCA in a position of strength when it comes to offering high level soccer education to kids in the communities served by the YMCA.
“The clinic was a success and we are proud to be working with the YMCA to help kids in the community,” stated Brian Waltrip. A former professional player himself, Waltrip understands that at the youth level, the most important thing for children is to develop a deep love of the game. His attitude was reflected in the nature of the session, as laughter and jokes bounced around nearly as much as the futsal ball.
Going forward, the YMCA intends to initiate more regular futsal training sessions, and may also opt to launch a recreational futsal league for both children and adults. Positive experiences like the ones generated over the past weekend will continue to grow the games of soccer and futsal in the San Diego region.
