New soccer club giving opportunity to local youth

MANCHESTER, NH – If soccer has importance comparable to a religion throughout much of the world, then Yusufu Juma wants to start a new congregation right here in Manchester for those who might not be able to worship elsewhere.

Recently Juma and a few friends established the Beech Street Football Club, a new organization to help kids, teenagers and young adults in Manchester and Concord seeking a team of their own. Although many play for school teams in the fall, the demand for soccer at other parts of the year and the lack of opportunities meant something had to be done.

“We saw this as a need in the need in the community,” said Juma. “There are a lot of talented kids in Manchester who don’t get a chance to play for other teams because they may not have rides or may not be able to afford the fees, which can run up to $3,000 or $4,000 a season.”

Since the club was established earlier this year, the group has participated in local tournaments and has built connections with other local organizations like the Safari Youth Club, seeking to provide mentorship opportunities between older players and younger ones, such as Ishara Asifiwe.

Asifiwe migrated from Burundi five years ago and also plays striker for Parkside Middle School. In the past, Asifiwe played for Seacoast United, another local club in New Hampshire. However, he’s found playing for Beech Street to be a more rewarding experience so far.

“I love it, I enjoy playing with them and I feel like I’m learning since the older players are good soccer players,” said Asifiwe. “Yusufu and some of the other guys have been helping me learn how to play quicker and help me make better decisions during games.”

One of the mentors is Alex Mutombo, an incoming junior at Keene State College. Originally from Malawi, Mutombo had played in recent seasons at New Hampshire Institute of Technology in Concord as well as International Soccer Club (ISC) in Nashua. However, when he first arrived in the United States as a teenager, he faced the lack of financial or transportation support that limited his ability to play, something he is glad to see is being addressed for younger players.

“I could have played for Seacoast talentwise, but I couldn’t due to a lack of money or rides to the games or practices, and that’s the case with most of the kids here, it’s kind of hard for many families to pay for those academies or teams,” he said.

Over time, he’s seen the impact the club has had on those younger players as they’ve begun to see its potential.

“When we first started, most of the kid were taking this as a joke, they’d show up 30 minutes late to practice because they thought this was sort of a pick-up game thing,” said Mutombo. “But eventually we’d all show up 30 minutes early to practice and the kids saw their grades go up since they became a requirement to participate. I’ve been trying to do the same thing as well and lead by example.”

Practices take place at Livingston Park at 6 p.m. on Thursdays.