Coach in Focus: Bakari Ombima

Bakari Ombima is an Assistant Staff Coach for the CJ Brown Foundation. In this role, he works with and coaches children who participate in the Foundation’s programming, specifically in Chatham, Chicago. As a Chatham native, Ombima’s personal connection with the community provides a unique way for him to relate to the players.

Ombima has played soccer since he was four years old. “In Chicago, it’s such a basketball heavy city, but I just grasped soccer,” he said. When he was younger, the lack of soccer-related programming in the Chatham area affected Ombima’s training. He frequently traveled to Blue Island, Illinois, and practiced in his own backyard to grow his skills.

Around age eight, he began to take soccer even more seriously, joining the Chicago Fire Juniors. Today, he plays with the Indiana Elite FC. “Soccer is just fun. I’ve learned so much from soccer; I’ve made new friends, met new people,” Ombima said. 

Ombima was introduced to CJ Brown through a mutual connection and eventually joined the program as a coach. “Coach CJ welcomed me in, and he helped me and taught me things about life, more than just soccer,” Ombima said. “CJ helped me meet other adults and coaches in the field, and I can learn from them. It’s just been such a blessing with the CJ Brown Foundation.”

Now, he’s simultaneously able to further integrate soccer into his community and give back to the place he’s grown up. “I was once in their shoes. Teaching these little kids and growing the community of soccer in this area means a lot to me,” Ombima said. “The players I’m coaching are great kids.”

As a coach, Ombima appreciates the opportunity to connect with players and see them grow. “I love communicating with these kids, especially from my area. Teaching them new team-building exercises and learning how to communicate and play as a team is really important, more than just in soccer, in life” he said. Ombima is always looking to see his players improve their skills and succeed. “My biggest goal as a coach is to always be welcoming, teach these kids, and brighten their day,” he said. “[Coaches] are like the stepping-stool. We can help them on their journey or if they want to continue playing soccer.” 

Ombima is proud of the work the Foundation does and is excited to see it continue to expand. “I already see it grow day by day. It’s real fun and exciting to see more kids coming and enjoy it,” he said. “I think it’s important that I’m their role model because I’m from the area, and I think I’m going to be successful in the future with my soccer career,” Ombima said. “I already play at a high level, and I’m continuing to get better, so for them to see that, I think that can inspire them to get better and train harder so they can bring it back to this competitive space.” 

The players Ombima interacts with remind him of the joy of meeting and working with people from a variety of different backgrounds. “These kids, these are people too,” he said.

In the future, Ombima hopes to continue his soccer career, both collegiately and professionally, and become a civil engineer. “I’m still learning, I’m open-minded, so I’m always willing to take all that education, all that positive energy, and hopefully help others,” he said.