Brazilian soccer coach hosts visits Wetumpka for youth camp

Soccer is a quickly growing sport in central Alabama and around the United States. The AHSAA sanctioned boys and girls soccer as one of its sports in 1991. Since then and especially in the wake of the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted in the U.S., the sport’s popularity has continued to grow exponentially. That growth in interest has ballooned in the last several years in and around Elmore County as more opportunities for youth soccer become available to parents in the area. Wetumpka resident Ken Sanders is a huge fan of soccer since he starred on Opelika’s state championship boys’ soccer team in the 1980s. Sanders is hugely passionate about the beautiful game and is motivated to spread his love for soccer to the youth. After he moved to Wetumpka in 1993, Sanders went to the schools’ athletic directors in Wetumpka, Eclectic and Holtville to pitch starting soccer teams. In hosting this camp, Sanders was blessed with the opportunity to work with certified Brazilian soccer coach Andres Ocampo to show the community how beautiful the game of soccer truly is.