Kansas High School Building Something Bigger than Soccer Program

The first summer session for The Independent School’s new boys soccer team raised some concerns among its coaching staff.

Just four student-athletes attended the opening training session in June, leading first-year head coach Ali Alibadi and assistant Adrian Banuelos to wonder whether the program could field a team without joining a co-op.

Those anxieties quickly faded as the summer wore on.

Four players became 10 just a couple of weeks later, and the roster now includes 17 student-athletes – a quarter of the school’s enrollment. In fact, nearly 38 percent of the boys that attend the school are on the team.

The Independent School, located in Wichita, Kansas, relaunched its boys soccer program this school year after dropping the sport in 2019. The high school made the difficult decision to drop football last year because of low turnout after offering the sport for nearly 30 years but was determined to provide a fall sport for boys so they could experience the many benefits of education- based athletics.

As the school prepared to rebuild its soccer program from the ground up, it wanted to find a leader who could establish a culture that would set the team up for success for years to come.

It found one in Alibadi, who is teaching his players much more than skills on the pitch.

A first-time head coach, Alibadi moved to Wichita from Oklahoma in 2021 for a technology job. He is a former high school soccer player who also has extensive experience managing software engineering teams, and he has a passion for building culture and camaraderie.

Through a coworker, Alibadi had shadowed another high school soccer program before deciding to take the job at Wichita Independent.

In his first year on the sideline, Alibadi and his assistant coach have done more than restart the program. They have received buyin from the administration, players and parents; creating a sense that the team is about more than what happens on the scoreboard.

“The beautiful part of high school sports is you’re using a sport as a vehicle to grow young men into the challenges they’re going to run into,” Alibadi said. “Sometimes you have to buy into something that’s bigger than yourself.”

That message has resonated with a team that includes players with little to no soccer experience, and Alibadi has created an inclusive experience where everyone can learn.

Rather than separating players based on experience, Alibadi said everyone is included in drills during practice. Players are encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback, creating an environment where everyone has a role in building the program.

Word-of-mouth among students and parents helped grow the roster, while the excitement surrounding the World Cup also generated interest, Alibadi said. Some of his players even attended World Cup games in Kansas City.

With a young program comes a need for leadership, and the coaches have leaned on some of the team’s more experienced players to help establish its culture.

Senior Justin Mejia and junior Billy Inglis have played important roles in helping the team grow.

Mejia had advocated for starting a soccer program for four years and jumped at the opportunity when the school announced it was bringing the sport back. While he knows the team may not win many games in its first season, his focus is on making a positive impact on the program.

“I’m hoping to leave my mark for all the younger students here,” Mejia said. “Just really making sure that everyone sees and hears about the soccer team, and that they’re aware of it, and that they know that we’re here to work hard, play hard, and just have fun too as well.”

Inglis was on the football team before it folded but had played soccer when he was younger. He said playing alongside teammates with different levels of experience has provided an opportunity to develop as a leader, and that when he heard the school was adding a soccer team it “lit a fire” in him.

“Honestly, it’s a great experience just for building leadership and team-building skills,” Inglis said. “The community within the team has been amazing.”

For Inglis, being part of the school’s first soccer team is about leaving something behind for the students who will follow.

Jordan Morey is manager of communications and media relations for the NFHS.

“Being part of the first program is an amazing thing because you get to set the standards, set the stage for what comes,” Inglis said. “What I encourage everyone to do is just build something from scratch for the future. Even though you may not be able to have all the wins, and you may not be able to have all the fruits that may come from it, it’s just an amazing thing to be able to start something for a future generation. When you invest in something that’s bigger than you, it just teaches you so many different things.”

After competing in a high-level tournament to start the season, the Panthers were winless as of the second week of September. But the support has been there.

Mejia said the team has drawn large crowds at its games, including a recent road trip that required fans to spend four hours round trip in the car to support the players.

Alison Kubish, head of Independent’s upper school and the parent of one of the players, believes the team had already accomplished something monumental before it ever played its first game.

“(Alibadi) took boys who had little or no soccer experience, along with boys who already had some skill, and built a team,” Kubish said. “He created something they believe in and want to be part of.”

The wins will come – or they won’t. For now, the players at Wichita Independent are learning what it means to build something that will outlast their own time on the field.

Jordan Morey is manager of communications and media relations for the NFHS.