Coaching youth soccer on a cracked field

Editor,

We coach Under-12 soccer at Rodriguez Park. The goals rust, the lines fade, and the city says repairs are "on the list." Still, twenty-two kids show up every Saturday.

Parents patch nets with zip ties. Someone mows before games when the crew misses a week. Last season our team went undefeated in spirit if not score. These kids are learning belonging, not just footwork.

Fix the field. Keep the volunteers. Both matter.

— Coach Diana Ruiz