By: NICOLAS FIERRO
Salina Post
Central Kansas United (CKU) soccer club put together their first ever annual fundraising-charity event in Salina, seeking to expand and impact local soccer athletes.
On Saturday, January 31 CKU hosted the "Night of the Champions" fundraising gala for the purpose of raising funds and providing helpful information about the soccer club.
At the end of the night, CKU raised nearly $30,000.
Sergio Correa and Victor Devora of CKU stated the club was not always on everyone's radar, but has now expanded reaching multiple athletes, parents and community partners.
"A few years ago, soccer was fading away in Salina and at one point we did not even have Pre-K soccer," said Devora. "We just could not get a clear direction of where we wanted to go and it all started with a conversation with our club founder and president, Juan Maldonado. This is where we agreed where the club should go and fast forward three years later, we now have 30 teams and 350 players."
Established in 2017, CKU has grown since then and plans to continue with many goals/visions in mind.
Their 30 teams and 350 players comprise of age groups from Pre-K to United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) college and adult athletes. Primarily the youth teams play at the Magnolia Soccer Complex in Salina, as the competitive teams (high school, college and adult) travel to play in various places including Wichita, Kansas City and out of state.
"The ultimate goal for us is not about the numbers, but having quality and giving the opportunity for the players to play," said Correa.
CKU is a nonprofit local soccer club and operate financially off of donations.
"This club is nothing without or community members," said Devora. "The biggest thing is we want to keep everything affordable."
For more information on how to become a sponsor, pricing or about CKU, visit their website or email: [email protected]
Registration is now available for Spring soccer season as well.