I've been raised in the town of Collinsville, Alabama. I have never felt so discriminated in my life until I saw the "No Soccer" signs in the parks here in town. This town's Hispanic population has increased tremendously, and we all know what the majority of Hispanics love, and I know what you are thinking--tortillas. No, I am not talking about that. I am talking about the Beautiful Game, we, in the United States, call Soccer.
Why exactly are these two signs put up? What is wrong with the playing soccer at these parks? I understand if the space we play on is used very often, but it is not, it's not used at all.
Soccer was played on the tennis courts at the Dixie Youth Park. Those who live in Collinsville, how many people have you seen playing tennis there? At Gressler, inside the unused baseball field is where soccer used to be played. When was the last official baseball or softball match played on that field?
Despite the signs, we still try to play at these parks. However, most of the time, we play with fear that the police will tell us to leave. Before the signs were put up, about every day, 30+ people would show up to either park to play. You all know that sports keep people from doing "bad" things. However, one does not find the true meaning to it until you witness it or experience it. I witnessed it from one of my classmates. Soccer motivated him to let go of many things that were harming him. He ended up in the Top Ten of the class and he now walks around with a State Championship ring on his finger. Just imagine a kid walking around, about to go rob a store, but he sees a group of kids playing soccer, and is asked to play instead.
I know what many of you are thinking, "These guys win a state championship, and they begin to demand everything." Well, if that is what it had to take for the people who run this town to listen to us, then I'm so glad we won. The state title was not only won for our school but also for the community.
Last week, I was invited to play at a little tournament near Frog Pond. If you are not from Collinsville, Frog Pond is a trailer park surrounded by other trailer parks, and the people who live there are mainly Hispanics. Anyway, I had seen the soccer fields there before, but I had never truly appreciated them until that day. So, what did I do? I took pictures of these beautiful underground soccer fields.
Collinsville will continue to grow exponentially in the upcoming decade, and along with that the culture and diversity will expand forcing the town and its leaders to come out of their comfort zone in order to provide the youth with greater opportunities in the 'real' world. Soccer , being the most popular sport in the world, could provide the youth in Collinsville with an opportunity that no other sport could. After all, Colllinsville's 2013 Soccer State Champions are a great example of the many joys that this sport is able to offer the community, but in order to start this journey for justice in the town, we must begin by taking the signs down and abolish the prohibition of soccer in the town.
Give these parks in Collinsville some life by allowing the only persons that desire to use them the opportunity to do so, and let the parks, with soccer, give these persons an alternative way of living their life.
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By Jorge Segura
