DVIDS – Information – Children run, kick, dribble with All-Army soccer at youth soccer clinic

FORT HOOD, Texas — Children ages 5 and older confirmed off their soccer abilities and discovered some new ones with Soldiers collaborating within the 2026 All-Army Men’s Soccer Trial Camp on the staff’s annual youth soccer clinic March 10 at Phantom Warrior Stadium.

Participants had been grouped by age and rotated by 9 stations, which included sharks and minnows, a relay race, mini scrimmages and penalty kick follow.

“Every year, I think the clinic improves,” stated Chief Warrant Officer 4 Raul Almendarez, head coach for the All-Army males’s soccer staff. “This year, we had a lot more kids than we anticipated and expected, but it is an opportunity for our guys to give back to the community and (for the Soldiers) to remember when they were young and have that opportunity to get trained and given a lesson by someone.”

Sgt. 1st Class Alan Ibarralepe, 262nd Quartermaster Battalion, twenty third Quartermaster Brigade, Fort Lee, Virginia, stated it was quite a lot of enjoyable instructing the youngsters.

“I personally have three kids, so I guess (I have) a little bit of experience with little kids, and then just seeing them have fun, seeing the joy come out of it, and then just seeing the little bit of progression, even though it was a short period of time, … was a lot of fun,” he stated.

Spc. Isaac Garza, 1st Attack Battalion, third Aviation Regiment, third Combat Aviation Brigade, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, agreed.

“It’s fun watching the kids learn how to play soccer, and there were some kids that already knew how to play, and they really impressed me with some of their skills,” he stated, “but overall, it was a fun experience, and I was glad I was able to be with them and teach them.”

Amaya Doyles, 9, needs to be a soccer participant when she grows up, she stated. The clinic was a brand new expertise for Amaya to “unlock new chapters.”

“I’m very thankful that I had this and my mom took me to this,” she stated.

Amaya discovered the significance of passing the ball.

“… I saw a lot of people getting cornered up and stuff, and I don’t think that that’s the right thing because they didn’t pass,” she defined, “and I feel like if you pass the ball, you can actually win instead of lose.”

Learning a sport is a essential facet in a baby’s improvement, Almendarez stated.

“I think every kid should play a sport regardless of what the sport is,” he expressed. “It doesn’t should be soccer essentially. It teaches cohesiveness, it teaches teamwork and general builds character.

While the clinic could also be over, the trial camps are underway for the All-Army males’s soccer staff. They are gearing up for the Armed Forces Men’s Soccer Championship March 28-April 3 at Phantom Warrior Stadium. Garza feels assured about Army’s prospects for this 12 months’s championship.

“Last year was a lot of new people,” he stated. ”This 12 months can also be quite a lot of new folks, however I really feel like this group is totally different. This group exhibits much more maturity and ambition, and everybody’s actually hungry at this camp to make the ultimate 18. The cohesiveness of this staff is already constructing rather well, so I actually assume we have now a very good shot at profitable gold this 12 months.”

The Armed Forces Men’s Soccer Championship kicks off with a gap ceremony 3 p.m. March 28, adopted by the primary recreation, Army vs. Marine Corps, at 5 p.m. All video games are open to anybody and free to attend. To view the complete schedule, go to hood.armymwr.com/view-event/armed-forces-mens-soccer-championship/7210064/107979.