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Before the team commences its hourlong gauntlet of speed drills, scrimmaging and lessons at the whiteboard, head coach Luis Genis gathers the youths, ages 5-14, in a circle to remind them how far they’ve come over the past three weeks.

“I am so proud of all of you guys,� he said. “You guys have been improving a lot. … I’m so happy for all of you.�

The positive encouragement is just the start. Soccer may be the arena, but according to Hasan Khalil, the founder of Lincoln International Football Club, the program aims to do more than just play ball.

The club’s mission is two-pronged, working to provide opportunities to learn the game while also encouraging tolerance and understanding among its players, many of whom come from immigrant and refugee families.

“Our mission is to use soccer as a movement for positive change, to create belonging, unity,� Khalil said. “This is where we can exchange ideas and build a community together through soccer.�

Genis said the widespread popularity of soccer, along with its simplicity, makes building that community all the easier.

“When we talk about soccer, we come together and forget about all our problems or our social status … we become a team,� he said.

The story of how the club came together starts in a Syrian refugee camp in 1994, where Khalil and his family had fled as members of the Yazidi community escaping religious persecution in northern Iraq.

As a 12-year-old grappling with a traumatic childhood marked by violence, lost family and poverty, Khalil found in soccer an oasis.

“Soccer helped me to have hope and to have a purpose,� he said. “It takes you to a peaceful place.�

It helped to grow him as a person, Khalil said, and opened doors. Especially so when he moved with his family to Buffalo, New York, at age 14 and began a playing career that would last from high school through his first year of college.

After moving to Lincoln in 2011, Khalil’s passion for soccer continued, bringing him into contact with the plethora of ethnic groups that call the city home. A barber who now runs his own shop, Golden Scissor, Khalil eventually met Genis as a customer.

Genis, who was raised by his grandmother in southern Mexico before moving to Lincoln in 2007, had been a professional footballer in his home country. His experience proved to be invaluable later.

In mid-2020, as the pandemic raged and lockdowns wore on the population. Khalil and Genis began forming an impromptu soccer community.

“We’re just like people from different nations. We made this team, and it got bigger and bigger,� Khalil said.

By the end of the year, Khail said the interest had grown beyond merely hosting pickup games.

“People wanted somewhere to practice now, they wanted to be part of teams, they were so interested in soccer and we saw the impact that it brought to our community,� he said.

Despite establishing as a nonprofit in 2021, it would take a while longer to get Lincoln International Football Club off the ground. In August 2022, the club hosted its first event, a youth tournament with teams representing Iraq, South Sudan, Congo, Burkina Faso, Central America and more.

The success of the tournament, which was won by the Yazidi-Iraqi team, built momentum for the club that led into the introduction of a seven-week adult league that began in April, and ultimately culminated in the 17-day youth camp this June.

Yazidi mother Rifaah Hussein said the opportunity to make connections in the community is mutual for parents as well as players like her 6-year-old son Isaac.

“It’s a really good opportunity to get to know the community and make friends, many of us are refugees or immigrants, so it’s really good that most of us feel supported … this is really helpful for us,� she said. “And the kids love it, they enjoy it, they’re having fun.�

The program, which has an enrollment of about 80 kids, has also provided an opportunity for American-born parents like Eric Parkening to expand their children’s perspectives through exposure to new cultures and experiences while teaching them valuable lessons.

“It’s skills-based, but there’s also the teamwork aspect and the greater purpose,� Parkening said. “Just exposing them to different countries and different cultures that are out there and bringing that together in a backyard experience is pretty cool.�

Practice on Wednesday ended early for the inaugural graduates, who came forward when their name was called to receive a personalized certificate during a celebration where parents were invited to bring ethnic foods. Music from across the globe played on loudspeakers and players and parents mingled.

It’s a far cry from Genis’ experience with soccer stardom as a child. During an interview, he showed a picture of a young version of himself, surrounded by trophies, yet without the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

“I was sad because nobody was with me, nobody was supporting me,� Genis said. “When Hasan came to me with (the idea for the club), I wanted those kids that have a hard life to be supported.�

However, funding remains a potential obstacle to growing the program.

While jerseys were provided by Ready Mixed Concrete and the club’s playing field was insured through the Asian Cultural Community Center, the rest of the expenses have come out of Khalil’s pocket, with some help from Genis.

Khalil said he hopes to eventually make the organization self-sustaining through donations, which can be made on the .

The club has more programs on the horizon. Another seven-week adult league is set to commence in the coming weeks, and Khalil hopes to bring back the youth camp this fall.

As a New Yorker for over a decade, Khalil said he’s often tempted by the prospect of moving elsewhere for other opportunities, especially as a licensed nurse and interpreter. But he’s found his calling here.

“I’ve kind of found a sense of community here more than I’ve felt it anywhere else,� Khalil said. “It’s been a great city, welcoming for all; everyone feels that this is home.�