I recently read an article in the Huffington Post called, “How Do We Get Our Kids to Love Sports Particularly Because They Likely Won’t Be Professional Athletes?” The article discusses the ingredients of success of professional athletes and Olympians. Whether it really is that they work harder and put in more hours. Or is it genetics? That nature trumps nurture as the true separator of Olympians and near Olympian, and we can therefore dispense with the idea that the path to greatness is a race to 10,000 hours of deliberate practice from a really young age. In light, how do we promote thoughtful development over careless competition? And one that’s open to all children, not just those with the family resources to afford the best teams, clinics, and coaches.

I bring up the subject of this article to provide some perspective.

As a society we highly regard organized sports programs. Parents pour tons of money and hours into ensuring their child is involved and developing as an athlete at an early age – attending clinics, camps, and tournaments. Parents enroll their children in soccer academies for toddlers as young as 18 months! We believe not only that our children might become professional athletes if they start early enough, work hard enough, and focus their energies on training and playing, but also that it will contribute to making our children better, happier, healthier, accomplished youth and adults. What’s more is that we write articles, hold meetings, spend hours and money debating over how to properly develop our children athletes!

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Perspective! In the Darfuri refugee camps, they just want the opportunity to play, and through the Darfur United Soccer Academy, we’re striving to provide that. We’re trying to ensure that the children we’ve come to know, living everyday in the isolated refuge camps, also get to focus their energy on training and playing. That they too get to experience the joy and hope that sport cultivates. The hope that they too could be star athletes, and make their parents proud. The big difference between U.S. sports programs and the one we’re supporting in the refugee camps, is that engaging one child in soccer in the camps doesn’t require a ton of hours or money, its only one click away, and yet it will provide the same benefits and impact. And who knows, with the right genetics, they might be the next star athlete we read about.

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Just one CLICK HERE, to sponsor one child for one year of organized soccer, for just $10. I repeat just $10!

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