For Bryan Smith, Haiti has become a bit of home away from home. Smith first traveled to Haiti in 2004. For the last four years, he has been bringing soccer with him. It is the world’s game, after all. Last year, the Colorado Rapids donated a couple of boxes of equipment with many personal donations by Haitian Goalkeeper Steward Ceus (Rapids, 2009-2013).
This year, the Rapids donated enough gear to outfit a complete team with shorts, shirts, and compression shorts along with some miscellaneous gear. Smith, using some of his other connections, was able to secure additional equipment like shoes and balls for the young men of the village of Fedja, in the Mirebalais region of Haiti, northeast of Port-au-Prince.
For the past couple of years, Smith has been bringing whatever soccer gear he can get donated in order to outfit the teams that he has been working with – including a u-18 and u-15 team, as well as a handful of orphans that are also playing on the teams. Many of the players are also students at the Global Vision Citadelle Ministries school. This year, the teams played in an exhibition game with the gear donated by the Rapids.
The coaches and players were very grateful to get the Rapids gear. I was also able to give each player a new pair of cleats. It was an awesome time. Thanks again. We hope to continue the relationship with the Rapids in the future.
Haitian players stretch before taking the field sporting shorts from the Colorado Rapids.
Smith has high hopes for the young athletes that form this team,
We will be registering the FC-GVCM team for regional play. If they compete well we will enter them in the national league in Haiti.
Smith is still looking for sponsorships and partners that will help these boys make it to the next level and reach higher. If you would like to know more about Bryan Smith’s work in Haiti please contact CrossTraining at info@crosstraining-us.org.
If you would like to support future Timothy Project ventures, such as this one, please use the PayPal link below to make a donation. Your financial gift helps to secure additional equipment, sponsor a missionary or organization in an outreach effort, and cover associated costs of providing bibles, soccer equipment, and other outreach tools locally and around the world!
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Below are some additional photos of the soccer teams in Haiti.
