— Photos courtesy of Somerville United FC

By Christa Lee

Somerville now has its own homegrown soccer team. Soccer, being an international sport, is its own unifying language–a theme that Robert Onjiko, the coach, co-founder, and CEO of Somerville United FC, wants more of.

The all-men’s team started playing in March of this year and is slated to play in both the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) and American Premier Soccer League (APSL). Within the APSL, the team will play against other teams from the New England area.

Onjiko’s soccer career is extensive, having played from high school days to playing professionally in his home country of Kenya. He arrived in the United States to be a medical researcher, for which he currently contributes to finding an effective malaria vaccine, when he noticed that playing soccer in the U.S. requires a pay-to-play format.

“Most local clubs charge between $1,700 and $3,000 per season without guaranteeing playing time,” Onjiko said by email. “In contrast, Somerville United FC is completely free of charge; no one pays to play.” Even the uniform package is not mandated, and “players who cannot afford it can be sponsored by donors or participate without it”.

His organization has grown to 45 volunteers in its sales and marketing functions. They are also partnering with the City of Somerville’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to reach different communities.

But his dreams don’t stop there. A women’s team is in development at the moment, and he’s considering offering free soccer training for youth after a successful event this past spring. The turnout was high enough to consider making it a regular occurrence–98 kids showed up. The training would include “how to practice safely, how to stretch, how to eat,” and other basic training.

Giving back to the community and creating an inclusive team are important to Onjiko. “We just want to welcome people from all walks of life,” he said.

Somerville United FC has upcoming games in Everett and Medford. To find out more, go to https://somervilleunitedfc.org/schedule.