Upholding a Culture of Acceptance: An Interview with Pete Suarez — Volunteer Spotlight
KENSINGTON, Pa. — Pete Suarez is a familiar face for many Kensington Soccer Club families. He’s been with our club for five years as a volunteer coach and has insisted that he’d continue to serve as a volunteer each year that he can.
“Kensington has been great to me and my family on and off the field,” he said. “Even if they offered me a paycheck, I would take nothing from them. If I ever need anything, they’re quick to ask if they can help and things like that just make me want to volunteer for nothing, as well as my love for the game.”
After his wife had found KSC and moved their children into our youth programs, Suarez grew to love the culture of accepting youth at all levels and getting them interested in the sport of soccer.
“They don’t turn kids away,” he said. “You can come to Kensington and you don’t have to try out for a team. They accept you for who you are and for whatever skillset you may or may not have, which is perfect for me because that’s what I’m all about. The skillset doesn’t matter as much as wanting to play the game.”
As the coach for our U11 Boys Travel team, Suarez is responsible for helping his players take soccer more seriously as the level of play grows to be more competitive. Players will be subject to a bit more seriousness than they’re used to but Suarez knows it’s important in order to help his players reach a level of success he believes they can achieve.
“I’m one of the coaches that’s more on the serious side of soccer and I want them to succeed,” he said. “I don’t want them to fail. Failure is not an option in my book but does it happen? Yes, and that’s fine. I’m okay with that. That’s one of the things I like about Kensington. They don’t care about failure. It’s trial and error, which is perfect.”
As a dedicated volunteer for our Club, Suarez has helped make an impact on a number of players over the years and it’s evident that the opportunity to coach with us has changed him for the better as well. For those interested in joining our team as a volunteer coach, Suarez believes they’d “be making a great choice.”