In Cali, Francisco Sadoct Alzate Jaramillo has founded Soccer4All Lab, a free therapeutic soccer project for children with special cognitive abilities. Inspired by protests at his medical center in 2024, the engineer and sports enthusiast combines sports and therapeutic methodologies to promote smiles and social development. It currently serves 25 children with conditions like autism and Down syndrome.
Francisco Sadoct Alzate Jaramillo, an engineer, sports technologist, and medical center administrator, shifted his professional path in 2024 during a protest at the IPS where he works. There, mothers of children with autism voiced frustrations over appointment delays. Listening beyond the complaints, alongside a neuropsychologist, he identified the need for recreation and movement spaces for these children outside clinical settings.
His love for soccer and dream of his own little school converged with this social need. He trained for a year in therapeutic approaches to autism in Colombia and the United States. He developed a methodology blending the U.S. Soccer Federation's sports approach with the ABA method (Applied Behavior Analysis), used in therapies for children on the autism spectrum.
Thus, Soccer4All Lab was born, a non-profit project offering free sessions to 25 children with special cognitive abilities, including autism, Down syndrome, and rare diseases. Simultaneously, he founded Fundación ECEA (Enseñando con el Alma) to support the initiative.
The goal is not to train elite athletes but to create smiles. “This project is about smiles,” Francisco states. His 'Play-Practice-Play' training model prioritizes immediate ball contact, rejecting traditional warm-ups and line formations. Children learn better by imitating peers than following verbal commands or pictograms.
The approach builds an exclusive environment for children with similar conditions, not conventional integration. “Here all the children have a condition. This is not photo-op inclusion. This is real inclusion,” he explains. Sessions occur on Tuesdays and Saturdays, allowing parents to socialize and observe. Progress is gauged by social achievements, like children packing bags in advance or helping peers.
Family commitment is key; the free access serves as a dedication filter. “Bringing a child at 8 a.m. on a Saturday speaks of love and dedication,” he says. Despite initial rejections from the Escuela Nacional del Deporte and his IPS, the project grew through word-of-mouth. It includes outings to Deportivo Cali's stadium and trips to Buga.
Contact is via Instagram @soccer4all_lab, where Francisco responds personally. Open from age 4, it includes participants up to 33 years old. In this space, differences are celebrated, building a community of laughter and hugs.