OAKLAND — There are shared languages that transcend what is written down or spoken aloud. Young people seem to understand this better than most.
The teenagers at a recent after-school study hour in East Oakland spoke mainly in Spanish, but when they exchanged knowing grins, or burst into sudden laughter, it was clear that even behind a language barrier, this was an environment they trusted.
The session was held by Oakland Genesis, a nonprofit that since 2019 has tried to steer economically disadvantaged youth in the city toward a more positive life trajectory.
Although the organization focuses on improving academic outcomes, its method of achieving that involves another familiar, universal language: soccer.
The sport holds an almost religious appeal across the globe, but especially so in Latin-American countries, from where many families have migrated to Sobrante Park, a predominantly Spanish-speaking and lower-income neighborhood of East Oakland, near the San Leandro border.
Oakland Genesis offers academic training after school hours, but its primary hook is a youth soccer program, both for recreational play and more serious, club-based competition.
Its founder, Matt Fondy, has big dreams for the nonprofit, including a large-scale renovation of Sobrante Park, a public field that shares its name with the East Oakland neighborhood surrounding it.
The nonprofit’s study sessions, held at Madison Park Academy in Sobrante Park, offer a kind of bonding space upended by the COVID-19 pandemic’s worst days.
Oakland Genesis said it works with roughly 1,200 students each year across 10 schools in the city, offering both an afterschool academic program and soccer training, plus a more competitive club team for athletes who want to pursue the sport seriously.
Edy Chavez spent the pandemic living on screens, far away from his Madison Park Academy teachers who were too overworked to notice if his attention drifted away toward video games or the sheer boredom of isolation.
Chavez, whose parents are immigrants from both Guatemala and Mexico, had already seen his class performance plummet to a 1.0 grade-point average when he began at Oakland Genesis in 2019.
At 13, he was still establishing a grasp of English and often shied away from speaking it.
His self-esteem had declined alongside his grades, leading Chavez to confide in the nonprofit’s soccer coaches that he believed he wasn’t smart enough for school.
Fondy, a retired soccer pro, took an individual interest in Chavez, pushing the teen to rebuild his confidence and secure academic eligibility for the school’s soccer team.
“The study halls were tough; we hated them,” Chavez said. “But it was always Coach (Fondy) pushing me to be better and telling us to manage our schoolwork first.”
Edy’s academic output has improved dramatically — he now holds a 3.7 GPA as a high school senior. And meanwhile, Oakland Genesis has given him a lifelong passion: Chavez is a prolific soccer referee, officiating youth tournaments across Northern California.
He plans to continue refereeing at the adult level, even if he leaves the Bay Area to attend his target school, Long Beach State University.
“Edy needed someone to take a personal approach and show him how all these things in his life could work together,” Fondy said. “Soccer plus academics could be one plus one equals three.”
Connections in the world of soccer allowed Oakland Genesis access to both a generous list of donors and community partners, including Oakland Roots SC, the second-division soccer club where Fondy ended his domestic playing career.
Fellow retired pro Tarek Morad, who similarly retired after a stint with the Roots, took part in mentoring Chavez, even bringing the teen and other Oakland Genesis students out to home games.
“Soccer just makes you feel like you’re a part of something larger,” said Morad, who now lives in Southern California. “The number of teammates I’ve had from different cultures, who speak different languages — you connect with them, because you’re all individuals within the framework of a team.”
Oakland Genesis’ next mission goes beyond soccer training. The nonprofit is seeking a full-scale renovation of the Sobrante Park field, which would be converted into a new headquarters for Oakland Genesis.
A recent cloudy afternoon may have seemed like perfect weather for sports, but the field sat empty, with only a rusty batting cage and set of bleachers near the drying grass.
The organization is in talks with the city for a 50-year lease at the park, with plans to transform the 4-acre site into a modern athletics facility, including multiple soccer fields, locker rooms, classrooms and a community events space.
Oakland Genesis hopes to migrate away from the football turf at nearby Madison Park Academy and begin setting up shop at Sobrante Park when renovations are expected to wrap in 2027.
Fondy, a Foster City native who attended Burlingame High, recalled a youth club soccer career where most players, like him, were white. Parents, he recalled, were expected to afford cleats and uniforms and transportation costs.
“There’s an element of privilege in the nature of youth sports,” he said. “But for me and now a lot of these kids, soccer provides that spark — the passion overflows and you find yourself connecting to other things you’re passionate about.”
On the football field at Madison Park Academy, Chavez feels like a different person from the kid who felt uncertain about his English and nervous for his prospects in a long life ahead.
“Soccer helped me get off the screens and get out to this beautiful…” Chavez said softly, gesturing with his hands out at the expansive field, where the sun was setting behind some clouds.
He hesitated, carefully choosing his words. “I don’t know if I’m making sense, but yeah. It’s a pretty cool feeling.”
ABOUT SHARE THE SPIRITShare the Spirit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operated by the East Bay Times/Bay Area News Group. Since 1989, Share the Spirit has been producing series of stories during the holiday season that highlight the wishes of those in need and invite readers to help fulfill them.
HOW TO HELPDonations to Oakland Genesis Academy will enable the nonprofit to provide soccer coaching and play opportunities alongside academic support to 275 boys and girls from low- and moderate-income families in Oakland’s underserved East and West Oakland communities. Goal: $25,000
HOW TO GIVEDonate at sharethespiriteastbay.org/donate or by mail using this form. Donations are tax deductible.
ONLINE EXTRARead other Share the Spirit stories, view photos and video at sharethespiriteastbay.org.