This last Sunday, we hosted over 500 members of the Nona Soccer Academy Family at Heroes Community Park for our 3rd Anniversary Party. Parents, players and fans across the entire organization and community joined us in celebrating this incredible milestone!
The crisp 55 degree wind chill certainly didn’t cool off the festivities as everyone had the chance to enjoy music, games, and amazing giveaways. Over a dozen community partners and vendors set up booths across the park with special deals only available to those in attendance!
As Thanksgiving approaches we took the opportunity to speak to some of the members of the Nona Family to see what they were thankful for. Coach Johan, Goalkeeper Director and Head Coach of the 2011 and 2012 Black teams said “I’m just incredibly thankful for health. My family’s healthy, my friends are healthy and I’m back in Florida, the state that I love, after four years of being in college and I’m just happy to be here working in something that I love… I get to call this a “job” where I’m playing soccer with kids and teaching them the game that I love.”
Our top priority when selecting our instructional staff here at Nona is a passion for teaching. Stellar athleticism and an impressive resume holds very little importance when accompanied with a lack of patience and poor character. We take the trust that parents instill in us to nurture and teach their children very seriously, we believe that respect, sportsmanship and a strong work ethic will yield the performance results we all are looking for down the line.
Shirley, mother of Christopher and Giovanni Medina from our 2009 and 2010 Orange teams told us it’s all about family. “The thing that I’m most thankful for has to be my family, both of my kids and my parents. The friends that we’ve made here at Nona as well… have become more than just a team, but a family.”
Tyler (aka Ty-Ty) from our 2010 Black team told us “I love Nona because it helps me make new friends and learn soccer.” He then proceeded to show walk us through his favorite Fortnite dance, the Woah.
Whether it be coaches, parents, or players a major theme of gratitude revolved around family. It is impossible to celebrate three years of Nona Soccer without celebrating each and every member our Nona Soccer Academy Family. We work diligently to create a culture of growth, respect, and community involvement for our players everyday and we can’t wait to see where these next three years take us. We are Nona and we are grateful for you!
Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at Nona Soccer Academy!