What families say…
- “It was close and convenient. The level of challenge was a great intro to sports. It gave my daughter something to earn that she could be proud of.”
- “My son learned new skills and made new friends. He had fun and never felt pressure to perform a certain way. This is exactly the type of program we wanted and I am very grateful that we had the opportunity to be a part of it.”
- “Just an overall fantastic program. The help that was given to parents about how to support children on and off the field and encourage them at all times was very helpful.”
Typical Highlights on End of Season Survey Data
Community Leaders and Workforce Development- Spring 2023
| Coaches (30) | Assistant Coaches (27) | Referees (5) | Community Support Specialist (3) and Field Coordinators (3) |
| 63% Latino, 27% White, 10% African American, 23% Women | 74% Latino, 19% White, 7% African American | 60% Latino, 40% White | 100% Latina |
| 37% Teachers, 43% Family Members of Players, 30% Community members | 63% Youth, 33% Women | 80% Youth, 80% Family members of players or coaches | 100% Women |
| 57% Immigrants/ or children of immigrants | 67% Immigrants/ or children of immigrants | 60% Immigrants or children of immigrants | 100% Immigrants or children of immigrants |
2022 Impact Report
Spring 2023
- Total served: 504 students from Jefferson County, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, and Weld County
- Jefferson County
- 187 players on 11 teams
- Participating schools: Arvada K8, Edgewater, Foster, Lumberg, Molholm, Secrest, Stevens, and Thomson Elementary Schools
- Jeffco Survey Data
- Adams 12
- 240 players on 13 teams
- Participating schools: Coronado Hills, Federal Heights, Hillcrest, Malley Drive, McElwain, North Mor, North Star, Rocky Mountain, Stukey, and Thornton Elementary schools
- Adams 12 Survey Data
- Weld County
- 77 players on 6 teams
- 4 week pilot program with students from: Thunder Valley K8, Carbon Valley Academy, St. John, Legacy Elementary, Mead Elementary, Firestone Charter, Twin Peaks Charter Academy, Alvarado
- Weld Co. Survey Data
- 77 players on 6 teams
Fall 2022
- Total served: 320 students from Jefferson County and Adams 12 Five Star Schools
- Jefferson County- 185 students served
- 210 registered. Waitlists at Lumberg, Secrest, Thomson
- Teams at: Arvada K8, Edgewater, Foster, Lumberg, Molholm, Secrest, and Thomson Elementary Schools
- Adams 12- 135 students served
- 147 registered. Waitlists at Coronado Hills, North Mor
- Teams at: Coronado Hills, Federal Heights, Hillcrest, McElwain, North Mor, Rocky Mountain, and Thornton Elementary schools
- Jeffco Fall data
- Adams 12 Fall data
- Youth Leadership/Workforce Development
- 2 youth referees (middle school and high school students) – one is a former player with Balon USA and one has a father who coached with Balon USA and a brother who played with Balon USA.
- 9 youth assistant coaches (middle school and high school students), 5 of whom are former Balon USA players.
- 4 Family Workshops provided in collaboration with Positive Coaching Alliance
- Adams 12 Survey results
- Jeffco Survey results
- Parents learned about:
- Balon USA’s non-competitive philosophy and history
- The role of parents in youth sports
Summer 2022
- Total served: 180 students from Adams 12 Five Star Schools: Coronado Hills, Federal Heights, Hillcrest, McElwain, North Mor, Rocky Mountain, and Thornton Elementary schools
- June soccer camps featuring: drills, agility work, and scrimmages
Spring 2022
- Jefferson County- 165 students served
- 3rd-5th grade students from: Arvada K8, Edgewater, Foster, Lumberg, Molholm, Secrest, Stevens, and Thomson Elementary Schools
- 62% boys, 38% girls
- Racial identity, “Check all the apply”: 74% Latino, 29% White, 4% African American, 4% Native American, 1% Asian American, 3% prefer not to respond
- Jeffco Spring data
- Adams 12- 150 students served
- 3rd-5th grade students from: Coronado Hills, Federal Heights, Hillcrest, McElwain, North Mor, Rocky Mountain, and Thornton Elementary schools
- 66% boys, 34% girls
- Racial identity, “Check all the apply”: 77% Latino, 20% White, 4% African American, 4% Native American, 0% Asian American, 10% prefer not to respond
- Average attendance rate Thornton 85.2%
- Adams 12 Spring data
- 4 Social Emotional Workshops for families offered during spring 2022
- Sessions offered in English and in Spanish in Thornton and in Edgewater.
- English session in Thornton with translation into Dari available for Afghan families
- Each participating family received a $15 gift card to Walmart.
- Presented in collaboration with mental health professionals: Marinela Maneiro-Goodwin, Amy Hansen, Jennifer Paulus
- Presentation also included information from Kim O’Shea of the Positive Coaching Alliance
- Families learned about:
- Child brain development and how to best support their children at this age
- Balon USA’s non-competitive philosophy and history
- The role of parents in youth sports
- Workshop surveys
Thornton Summer/Fall 2021
- Total students served= 163 (Summer 80 students, Fall 83 students)
- 3rd-5th grade students from: Coronado Hills, McElwain, NorthMor, Thornton and other Elementary schools.
- 63.5% boys, 36.5% girls
- 65% Latino, 19% White, 10% two or more races, 1 % Native American, 1% Asian American, 4% prefer not to respond
- Practices twice a week, games on Saturdays
- Summer season June 19-July 10
- Fall Season October 4- November 6
- Four social-emotional workshops, two in Spanish, two in English, presented in collaboration with psychologist Marinela Maneiro-Goodwin. Parents learned about child brain development and how to best support them at this age.
- Adams 12 Five Star Schools engaged families during practices and games to provide information about COVID vaccines, register students for school, and to provide assistance with filling out free and reduced lunch forms.
- City of Thornton engaged with families at social emotional workshops and games to provide information about City resources and activities.
- Average attendance rate 88%
- Fall survey data linked here
- Summer survey data linked here English survey Spanish survey
Jefferson County Spring/Summer/Fall 2021
- 245 students served (119 students in spring/summer, 126 in fall)
- 3rd-5th grade students from Arvada K8, Edgewater, Foster, Molholm, Secrest, Swanson, and Thomson Elementary Schools, and other schools
- Average attendance rate 83%
- 65% boys, 35% girls
- 64% Latino, 22% White, 1% Native American, 1% African American, 1% Asian American, 8% two or more races, 3% Prefer not to respond
- 8 weeks of soccer programming each season- 2 practices, 1 game each week
- 4 Social-Emotional Workshops for Parents (two English, two Spanish), presented with psychologist Marinela Maneiro-Goodwin. Parents learned about child brain development and how to best support them at this age.
- 1 Bilingual Social-Emotional Workshop for Players presented by Amy Hansen and Marinela Maneiro-Goodwin, attended by 39 players. Topics included: understanding how your brain reacts to stress, how to manage strong emotions, how to be a good teammate, how to set and accomplish your goals
- Partnered with Edgewater Collective to offer more resources during soccer practices such as tutoring, internet hotspots, STEM activities, yoga, zumba and art.
- 3 summer soccer clinics for 1st-6th graders
- Spring survey data linked here (English, Spanish)
- Fall survey data linked here (English, Spanish)
2020 COVID-19
- Spring 2020- 120 players were ready to beginning the program when COVID-19 suspended everything. Instead, each family received a soccer ball, suggestions for practicing at home, and a $25 gift card. Coaches received their $350 stipend.
- Fall 2020- We put health protocols in place to serve 36 families for 6-weeks. Families were thankful for the opportunity for their children to be outside and interacting with their peers. Our survey showed many families noticed improved focus in school and better mental health for their children.
- We partnered with Edgewater Collective to offer more resources during soccer practices such as tutoring, internet hotspots, STEM activities and gift cards. These efforts impacted approximately 120 people.
- We partnered with the Jefferson Center for Mental Health Centro Dones to offer workshops in Spanish and English, via Zoom, entitled “Supporting your children’s mental health during the pandemic”.
2019
- Balón USA receives 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
- Around 120 students participated in our spring and fall seasons in Jefferson County. Participating schools included: Edgewater, Foster, Lawrence, Secrest and Swanson Elementary.
- 3 summer soccer clinics for students in 1st-6th grades.
- We partnered with the Social Emotional Learning Specialists at our participating schools and the Jefferson Center for Mental Health Centro Dones to offer social emotional workshops entitled “Supporting your child while learning a new sport” at two schools. The workshops helped parents focus on being positive and connected them to additional mental health resources at Centro Dones. Workshops were presented in Spanish and English.
2015-2018
- Germán collaborated with the Colorado Rapids Youth Soccer for Success to serve from 90-150 students per season each year. The program was active at Foster, Arvada K8, Lawrence, Secrest and Swanson Elementary schools and offered 8 weeks of programming in the fall and spring seasons to boys and girls from 3rd to 5th grades.
2009-2014
- Germán Zárate Bohórquez organized and led a soccer club at Foster Elementary in southeast Arvada. Germán used his contacts to organize games with teams across Metro Denver.
