Juvenil Caleño, 20 Years of Developing Competitive Players in Imbabura, Ecuador

Pedro Carlosama has spent the better part of his life developing the soccer culture in Imbabura, a province in the highlands of Ecuador. He is soft-spoken and thoughtful with his words, and as a veteran physical education teacher, has a gentle way with children and adults alike.  

Just a few years ago, Pedro and everyone who knew him assumed that he would teach until retirement at the private Catholic school where he had worked for over 20 years. However, alongside his career as a teacher, he has been cultivating La Escuela de Fútbol (Soccer School) Permanente Juvenil Caleño since 1999, and just last year, he decided to fully dedicate himself to this project.

“Before, “ he says, “ I was tired; I had pain in my knees, lack of energy.  But now that I am doing what I love, I feel so much better. I am active every day doing the work I choose to do.”  

Carlosama was well positioned to begin Juvenil Caleño because of his years of experience as a school soccer coach. At that time, the most organized soccer competition was found in schools rather than academies.  Under his leadership, his school won championships for four years in a row before he opened his academy, and Mario Erazo, founder of Soccer Scouting Pros, played for Carlosama as a part of the first U11 champion team. 

The success of Juvenil Caleño is well deserved, being two decades in the making.  The club offers soccer training for children between 4 and 15 years of age, and looks to offer the best technical training to prepare them for professional opportunities starting around the age of 12.  

Juvenil Caleño coaches work to strengthen the player’s technical and tactical game as a primary focus to provide a strong foundation.  However, they also look at the player’s mental and spiritual development, because according to Carlosama, a player will be at a disadvantage if there are “holes” in their personal development.  To compete requires a strong body and good foundational skills, a resilient mentality, and a moral compass - all of which are seen with equal importance at Juvenil Caleño, and Carlosama considers the special treatment afforded the children in his club as the true strength of his academy.

“We focus on values in every session,” says Carlosama. “Sports provide a vehicle to teach discipline, punctuality, companionship - all of these things will help them become a better player, but it will also help them in their professional lives.”

Over the years, Juvenil Caleño has produced about a dozen players who have gone on to play in professional clubs both within Ecuador and internationally. When asked what separates these successful players from others, Carlosama responded without hesitation, “Independence. Our culture emphasises a deep attachment to the family and parents are very overprotective.  Players who can separate themselves from that overprotection and become more independent are the ones who can develop as high-level players.”

Now that Carlosama is fully dedicated to developing his academy, he is expanding to offer training and tournaments in basketball and is also hosting triathlons.  Additionally, he is developing playing opportunities for girls, which are still scarce in Ecuador and Latin America in general. As his school expands and continues to make a difference in the lives of so many young people in Imababura, Carlosama’s motivation remains the same: to share his energy and passion in support of the healthy development of the children in his charge.  There has always been athletic talent in Imbabura, according to Carlosama, they simply need the technical and emotional support that Juvenil Caleño aims to provide.