In a special relationship with JCC Denver’s Fitness & Aquatics Center, Bryan Vandoorninck of Bvado Soccer is bridging cultural gaps and encouraging childhood experiential education. This new offering is among the many child-friendly programs offered here at the J that focuses on empowering children to learn through exploration and play.
Lifelong soccer player Bryan is on a mission to build community through soccer-themed activities. He recently founded Bvado Soccer, a company that creates immersive mini-soccer game experiences for all occasions—from corporate events to children’s birthday parties—and has partnered with the JCC to do so. “[For me,] soccer was a launching pad for a life of fulfillment and meaning. I’ve always wanted to give back to the community in a way that’s exciting for me, especially during those early, transformative years,” Bryan explains. The player got hooked on soccer as a young child thanks to his older brother, who introduced him to the sport.
“I love the camaraderie and healthy competition, and the human connection it forges. Whenever I step over those white lines [on the field], I transform into an artist and nothing else matters,” Bryan shares. Bryan grew up playing soccer in Centennial’s public school system, then as a collegiate athlete at St. Mary’s College in California, and finally in England in the semi-pros. He later moved to Israel and started a business teaching English through soccer, partnering with the Tel Aviv Municipality to run the program in lower-income neighborhoods.
Coach Bryan VanDoorninck guides young athletes in his soccer program
“In Ashdod [Israel], I would play soccer in local parks, and I noticed a division of the Orthodox and secular kids playing on different teams. I’d jump in with the Orthodox kids [to show] there doesn’t need to be this division. If we just throw a soccer ball down, maybe that’s a way to bridge the gap,” he suggests, comparing it to his other multicultural experiences with the sport. Starting next month, Bvado Soccer will be renting on Saturdays from 9 am to 4:30 pm, out half indoor basketball court for immersive soccer birthday parties for up to 20 children per party, ages 3-5, with a 10-1 ratio of children to adults for 1.5-hour slots.
When a child enters a Bvado Soccer space, they can assume any of the roles one might find in a real-life soccer game—from being a soccer player or medical staff, to a field maintenance crew member, or even a fan in the crowd. The engaging environment allows children to explore, create, and imagine on their own terms. The company provides a turnkey solution, which means everything is set up and facilitated from the time parents and children enter until the time they leave. There will be sanitizations between time slots, safety protocols, and age-appropriate equipment. Children should come wearing athletic clothes and gym-appropriate shoes.
