About
My Yute Soccer offers FREE soccer camps for children that focus on playing soccer with experienced and talented players and coaches. The program also runs a teen mentor program and holds a yearly Jamaican Jerk Cook Off Benefit Fundraiser. My Yute Soccer has also provided free mini camps in schools across Oakland, California.
• Ages: 7–12 years old
• Schedule: The first soccer camp took place in summer 2008.
• Price: My Yute Soccer's mission and vision is enacted through its FREE soccer camps for children ages 7 to 12.
My Yute Soccer's mission and vision is enacted through its FREE soccer camps for children ages 7 to 12 and a teen mentor program, and it envisions communities embracing differences through soccer. The organization is on a mission to provide access to a diverse socio-economic and cultural environment through the sport of soccer, and it educates youth in the sport of soccer while promoting awareness of socio-cultural differences for the general public.
The leadership team includes President and Founder Rovel S. Sparkes; Board Member and Co-Founder Joanne C. da Luz; Director Adam Lamoreaux; Secretary of the Board Polly Legendre; and team members Michael (Coach Doc) Lee and Horatio Sparkes. Joanne C. da Luz is an MBA graduate of the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College, a recipient of the Goldman Sachs Initiative for Women Scholarship Award and the Career Development Award from the American Association of University Women, holds a Master's degree in Education from Stanford University, and is an NCAA Women’s Soccer Champion. Michael (Coach Doc) Lee is a Professor at California State University East Bay, a researcher and consultant with 20 years of experience as a full-time educator, is fluent in Spanish, has lived, worked and traveled in over 30 countries across six continents, has been coaching youth soccer for a decade as part of the Oakland and Piedmont Soccer Clubs, and is a grade 8 USSF referee.
The first My Yute Soccer camp took place in summer 2008, and the organization became a registered 501(c)3 in November 2008. Since 2008, My Yute Soccer has provided free soccer camps to 247 children, and in 2011 it provided free mini camps for over 60 children and its first paid internship opportunity for mentors. In June 2015, My Yute Soccer was featured on NBC's Bay Area Proud, and in June 2018, Rovel S. Sparkes was awarded a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Barbara Lee for dedication and contributions to Caribbean-American heritage and culture.
My Yute Soccer is a CA registered 501(c)3 organization and has earned an East Bay Express Best of the Bay award in 2010 and the Oakland Innovator’s Award in 2011. After receiving the Oakland Innovator’s Award, My Yute Soccer “popped up” in schools across Oakland, California, and provided free mini camps for over 60 children and its first paid internship opportunity for mentors. The AfriCari soccer team provides the foundation for My Yute Soccer volunteer coaching, and the program has raised money through t-shirt and hat sales and pledging time as volunteer coaches.
MYS, with help from the community and local sponsors, has provided free soccer camps to 247 children since 2008, and Sparkes spearheaded and continues to grow and manage the yearly Jamaican Jerk Cook Off Benefit Fundraiser for My Yute Soccer. Michael (Coach Doc) Lee is active in the East Bay community and beyond and strives to be a change agent for youth and the community in general. One description of My Yute Soccer called it “a camp in Oakland that’s different than the rest,” and another noted that it is “free, but it’s not just for low income kids.” Rovel S. Sparkes has said, “I had such a beautiful childhood, I wanted to create the same thing here.”
Last updated March 23, 2026.
• Ages: 7–12 years old
• Schedule: The first soccer camp took place in summer 2008.
• Price: My Yute Soccer's mission and vision is enacted through its FREE soccer camps for children ages 7 to 12.
My Yute Soccer's mission and vision is enacted through its FREE soccer camps for children ages 7 to 12 and a teen mentor program, and it envisions communities embracing differences through soccer. The organization is on a mission to provide access to a diverse socio-economic and cultural environment through the sport of soccer, and it educates youth in the sport of soccer while promoting awareness of socio-cultural differences for the general public.
The leadership team includes President and Founder Rovel S. Sparkes; Board Member and Co-Founder Joanne C. da Luz; Director Adam Lamoreaux; Secretary of the Board Polly Legendre; and team members Michael (Coach Doc) Lee and Horatio Sparkes. Joanne C. da Luz is an MBA graduate of the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College, a recipient of the Goldman Sachs Initiative for Women Scholarship Award and the Career Development Award from the American Association of University Women, holds a Master's degree in Education from Stanford University, and is an NCAA Women’s Soccer Champion. Michael (Coach Doc) Lee is a Professor at California State University East Bay, a researcher and consultant with 20 years of experience as a full-time educator, is fluent in Spanish, has lived, worked and traveled in over 30 countries across six continents, has been coaching youth soccer for a decade as part of the Oakland and Piedmont Soccer Clubs, and is a grade 8 USSF referee.
The first My Yute Soccer camp took place in summer 2008, and the organization became a registered 501(c)3 in November 2008. Since 2008, My Yute Soccer has provided free soccer camps to 247 children, and in 2011 it provided free mini camps for over 60 children and its first paid internship opportunity for mentors. In June 2015, My Yute Soccer was featured on NBC's Bay Area Proud, and in June 2018, Rovel S. Sparkes was awarded a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from Barbara Lee for dedication and contributions to Caribbean-American heritage and culture.
My Yute Soccer is a CA registered 501(c)3 organization and has earned an East Bay Express Best of the Bay award in 2010 and the Oakland Innovator’s Award in 2011. After receiving the Oakland Innovator’s Award, My Yute Soccer “popped up” in schools across Oakland, California, and provided free mini camps for over 60 children and its first paid internship opportunity for mentors. The AfriCari soccer team provides the foundation for My Yute Soccer volunteer coaching, and the program has raised money through t-shirt and hat sales and pledging time as volunteer coaches.
MYS, with help from the community and local sponsors, has provided free soccer camps to 247 children since 2008, and Sparkes spearheaded and continues to grow and manage the yearly Jamaican Jerk Cook Off Benefit Fundraiser for My Yute Soccer. Michael (Coach Doc) Lee is active in the East Bay community and beyond and strives to be a change agent for youth and the community in general. One description of My Yute Soccer called it “a camp in Oakland that’s different than the rest,” and another noted that it is “free, but it’s not just for low income kids.” Rovel S. Sparkes has said, “I had such a beautiful childhood, I wanted to create the same thing here.”
Last updated March 23, 2026.
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