At Gate we are very excited about continuing to help children with the tool that we find so powerful: soccer

After the experience in Thailand, Gate of Football headed off to Madrid to start a new project; a special project, moreover, because we are working alongside Juan Manuel Montilla, El Langui, and the club he runs: Atletico Pan Bendito. This team brings together boys and girls from low-income families from the Pan Bendito neighborhood, as well as from other places in Madrid, all of whom play at the club under scholarships. Why did we join forces? We identified many values that have brought us together: respect, teamwork and the desire to improve. Which is why today we are giving the floor to our technical director and former soccer player, Juan Povedano, to tell us about this new adventure in Madrid.

How did the idea of collaborating with El Langui in his struggle to improve the lives of the children of Club Pan Bendito come about? 

Juanma (El Langui) and Gate are in the same line of work: we believe that sports and their values can provide children with the necessary tools to develop as people and thereby help them have a better future. We have a working method based on soccer and he has a team. So it was simple, we sat down with Juanma and that very same day we organized the season. When soccer and values go hand in hand, it is easy to understand each other

Your intention is to use the values of soccer to give these children the same opportunities as others. 

Sports, and in this case soccer, can give us the opportunity to put into practice situations in which we can delve into values such as respect, tolerance, equality, the desire to excel, etc. Now, we’re adding our program of values to the ones that he already has and in particular we’ll expand the sports training.

What are your expectations for this new playing field that is Gate of Football Madrid?

All of us at Gate are excited to continue helping children through the power of soccer. We’re passionate about collaborating on this beautiful project and working with Juanma. We’re passionate about Thailand, and to be able to bring the project here, so close to home, seems like a wonderful opportunity to continue making a difference.