WestSide International Soccer, a non-profit organization, is celebrating its 10th year offering free soccer programs for boys and girls ages 4-19. Mateo Escobar, president and co-founder, says the program creates a safe space for kids to play and compete without the barrier of cost. The recreational youth program runs in the summer for 12 weeks where kids play every Saturday morning at Front Park. Escobar says most of the kids are refugees living in the West Side. “It was a nice pairing of being able to help refugees and also being able to provide soccer programming for kids of all ages,” Escobar said. The program has partnerships with FC Buffalo soccer club, Nardin Academy and D’Youville University and hopes to expand to offer more competitive and travel teams. By Peyton Fletcher & Valerie Ryan
