About
My Yute Soccer offers free soccer camps where children take part in soccer activities led by experienced and talented players and coaches. The program also runs free mini camps and a teen mentor program connected to its soccer activities. Each year, My Yute Soccer is supported by a Jamaican Jerk Cook Off Benefit Fundraiser.
• 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. The organization states that it envisions communities embracing differences through soccer and is on a mission to provide access to a diverse socio-economic and cultural environment through the sport of soccer. My Yute Soccer educates youth in the sport of soccer and promotes awareness of socio-cultural differences for the general public.
The first soccer camp took place in summer 2008, and My Yute Soccer became a registered 501(c)3 in November 2008. Since 2008, it 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 2018, President and Founder 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 led by Rovel S. Sparkes (President & Founder), Joanne C. da Luz (Board Member & Co-Founder), Adam Lamoreaux (Director), Polly Legendre (Secretary of the Board), 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, is an NCAA Women’s Soccer Champion, and has coached and trained youth in the sport. Michael (Coach Doc) Lee is a Professor at California State University East Bay focusing on issues related to Sustainable Development, is fluent in Spanish, has lived, worked and traveled in over 30 countries across six continents, has 20 years of experience as a full-time educator, has been coaching youth soccer for a decade as part of the Oakland and Piedmont Soccer Clubs, and is a grade 8 USSF referee.
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, the program “popped up” in schools across Oakland, California, with free mini camps for over 60 children and its first paid internship opportunity for mentors. With help from the community and local sponsors, My Yute Soccer has provided free soccer camps to 247 children since 2008, and Sparkes continues to grow and manage the yearly Jamaican Jerk Cook Off Benefit Fundraiser for the program. Adam Lamoreaux’s support for fundraising and programming is described as being driven by his genuine love for Oakland and his pursuit of entrepreneurial projects, and Michael (Coach Doc) Lee is described as active in the East Bay community and beyond, with both of his children having served as Teen Mentors for My Yute.
One parent described My Yute Soccer as “a camp in Oakland that’s different than the rest” and noted that it is “free, but it’s not just for low income kids.” Sparkes has said, “I had such a beautiful childhood. I wanted to create the same thing here.”
Last updated June 21, 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. The organization states that it envisions communities embracing differences through soccer and is on a mission to provide access to a diverse socio-economic and cultural environment through the sport of soccer. My Yute Soccer educates youth in the sport of soccer and promotes awareness of socio-cultural differences for the general public.
The first soccer camp took place in summer 2008, and My Yute Soccer became a registered 501(c)3 in November 2008. Since 2008, it 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 2018, President and Founder 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 led by Rovel S. Sparkes (President & Founder), Joanne C. da Luz (Board Member & Co-Founder), Adam Lamoreaux (Director), Polly Legendre (Secretary of the Board), 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, is an NCAA Women’s Soccer Champion, and has coached and trained youth in the sport. Michael (Coach Doc) Lee is a Professor at California State University East Bay focusing on issues related to Sustainable Development, is fluent in Spanish, has lived, worked and traveled in over 30 countries across six continents, has 20 years of experience as a full-time educator, has been coaching youth soccer for a decade as part of the Oakland and Piedmont Soccer Clubs, and is a grade 8 USSF referee.
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, the program “popped up” in schools across Oakland, California, with free mini camps for over 60 children and its first paid internship opportunity for mentors. With help from the community and local sponsors, My Yute Soccer has provided free soccer camps to 247 children since 2008, and Sparkes continues to grow and manage the yearly Jamaican Jerk Cook Off Benefit Fundraiser for the program. Adam Lamoreaux’s support for fundraising and programming is described as being driven by his genuine love for Oakland and his pursuit of entrepreneurial projects, and Michael (Coach Doc) Lee is described as active in the East Bay community and beyond, with both of his children having served as Teen Mentors for My Yute.
One parent described My Yute Soccer as “a camp in Oakland that’s different than the rest” and noted that it is “free, but it’s not just for low income kids.” Sparkes has said, “I had such a beautiful childhood. I wanted to create the same thing here.”
Last updated June 21, 2026.
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