At a Wednesday evening practice at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, coach Mahamed Kassim barked instructions across the grass field: "Three touches, three touches, eyes up! Good, good, good! Move away from the defenders!"

Drawstring bags and water bottles lay scattered on the sidelines. A few kids played without cleats. Mothers chatted and laughed behind them.

This is the Somali Health Board Soccer Club, a free year-round youth soccer program serving low-income and immigrant families in South King County. While World Cup tickets at Seattle Stadium start at $949 on the secondary market, these kids pay nothing.

The club has grown from one team of 17 players in 2018 to 11 teams with more than 170 players, according to a Seattle Times profile published Tuesday, June 23.

Most come from Latino, Afghan, and East African families in the Highline Public Schools district, where 57% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, according to the Times report.

"None of them are playing Select clubs paying $3,000 a year," said Charles Fix, a volunteer coach with the program.

The club practices on grass fields, which are cheaper to book than artificial turf. It provides purple jerseys but operates without the branded backpacks and gear that mark wealthier programs.

Program director Mohamed Moalim pointed to a backpack emblazoned with another club's logo during a recent practice. "We don't have backpacks," he said.

Funded in part by King County's Best Starts for Kids initiative, the club cancels practices during Ramadan and reschedules league games to early mornings to accommodate fasting players. Moalim described the philosophy simply: "We do the heavy lifting without the parents asking."

The under-19 team won Washington Youth Soccer's Presidents Cup in February 2026. Abdul Hamadi, a 14-year-old from Burien who joined the club at age 8, was selected for U.S. Soccer's U-14 Boys' Talent Identification camp this year.

Alumni founded Holac FC, a semiprofessional team that joined the United Premier Soccer League in 2022.

Now the club is headed to the World Cup as spectators. The Somali Health Board received 40 free tickets through a city youth access initiative announced by Seattle Mayor Katie B. Wilson's office to attend the July 6 round-of-16 match at Seattle Stadium.

The club received an additional 20 tickets after the African Youth Sports Academy returned its allotment in solidarity with Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States on June 6, the Seattle Times reported. Local organizing committee spokesperson Hana Tadesse confirmed the tickets were reallocated to the Somali Health Board.

The club has one girls team that practices but does not yet compete in leagues. Moalim hopes to establish multiple competitive girls teams, though no timeline has been set.

Parent Aisha Tunkara, watching her sons at practice, put it plainly: "This is our World Cup."

Saturday drop-in sessions at Starfire Sports Complex (14800 Starfire Way, Tukwila) are open to the public and draw up to 100 children on a given weekend.