Four-year-olds learn art of soccer

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The World Cup soccer playoffs only happen once every four years. A World Cup in South Africa is even more rare. In fact, the series that opened Friday in that country marks the first time in history the games have been played on African soil.

There is a city there called, Khayelitsha, just outside Capetown.

"Khayelitsha has about 2 million people living on about $2 a day," said Austin soccer coach Eddie Russ. "Many of the kids have lost their parents to the AIDS epidemic and Amandla Ku Lutsha is doing great things.

Amandla Ku Lutsha is a non-profit organization that reaches out to the Khayelitsha young people.

"They do mentorship training, AIDS education, leadership training for kids who don't have parents, who are in residential care," Russ said. "They provide soccer outlets for these kids who otherwise, might just go to the streets, whether it's gangs or drugs or whatever other mischief they might get into."

It was hard, though, to do that kind of work without a "pitch," as soccer fields are called. That's where Chris Campbell comes in.

"The Chris Campbell Memorial Field was built about two years ago," Russ said. "Chris Campbell played for Franklin and Marshall College, a Division Three university on the east coast. He died after a training session. He was a great guy, the captain of the team. Their coach and the alumni of that school and the team wanted to honor him. They had taken a trip to South Africa, to Khayelitsha to play some games and teach some clinics and they were just blown away with what they saw. They were able to rather quickly raise the money to build the Chris Campbell Field. Amandla Ku Lutsha uses that field to provide soccer for the kids there. So part of what we're doing is funding programs at that field."

That's where "Soccer Shots " comes in. The franchise operation teaches the world's most popular game to little children. It was founded here in Austin three years ago and now operates in 45 states and Canada. Russ is the franchise owner and coach for Travis and Williamson Counties, along with the San Antonio area. He says Soccer Shots is committed to raising $30,000 for Amandla Ku Lutsha.

In Khayelitsha, young people in the program know about that and they're grateful.

"(They're) helping the community and also helping young guys not using drugs and staying positive; not using negative stuff," said Jayson, a Senior Youth Leader with the organization.

Here in the Austin area, the Acorn Learning Center in Round Rock is one of the participants in Soccer Shots. On the playground outside, Russ holds up some pictures of young South Africans on a soccer field.

"Do they like to take their shoes off?" a child asked, peering at a photo.

"Sometimes," Russ told her.

"You don't have to have cleats; you don't have to have shin guards; you don't even have to have a ball," he said. "In some recent pictures in Sports Illustrated, they're using a wrapped up sort of towels with some string; some kids in Africa playing in the dirt with no shoes on."

The Texas kids do have shoes on their feet and plenty of energy to donate to their soccer lessons. That, however, does not keep two little girls from plopping down on a goal and grinning.

"What are you silly girls doing?" Russ smiled. "Oh my goodness gracious!"

The coach scurries the girls to their feet and chases them around the playground, playing the role of a "Cookie Monster" who wants nothing more than to gobble up their soccer ball cookies. One of them stops, puts her foot on top of her ball and makes a quick backward motion.

"Oh, she did a pullback move!" Russ shouts. "Oh my God, what a brilliant move!"

A vigorous high-five follows and the kids head back to school, perhaps unaware that they are helping others on the far side of the world, but now quite aware of the basics of the most popular game in the world.