New soccer field at MARTA station brings the sport to immigrant kids

Players warm up on the newly opened soccer pitch at MARTA’s Kensington Station outside Atlanta, Ga, on Saturday, July 16, 2022. (Matthew Pearson/for WABE)

Moses Buraruhanya bolts downfield on brand new, bright green field turf. Dozens of kids donned in maroon soccer jerseys with “KENSINGTON” emblazoned in white across the shoulders are dribbling, passing and zooming around StationSoccer’s newest soccer pitch at MARTA’s Kensington Station.

Soccer in the Streets’ free, transit-oriented club soccer program, StationSoccer, opened its first field in Dekalb County on Saturday. The new location is the program’s fifth, and ties immigrant and refugee kids in nearby Clarkston to a network of teams that use MARTA to get to practices and games.

Buraruhanya started playing soccer when he was 6 years old and played for his school in Ghana where he grew up. He moved to Atlanta when he was a young teen, and the now 18 year old has big dreams.

Moses Buraruhanya (left) stands with his coach, Abdul Bangura, just off the pitch at MARTA’s Kensington Station on Saturday, July 16, 2022. (Matthew Pearson/for WABE)