Kicking Off Change: Forest Systems and Safwan Islam Bring Soccer and Community Together

Soccer was Safwan Islam’s first love.

“I was always playing whether it was for a competitive team, my high school, or just in my backyard,” he recalled. “Soccer helped to shape me into the person I am.”

Today, that person is a dedicated member of the Forest Systems team as a software engineer. That person is also committed to giving back to the sport that greatly impacted his life.

Safwan serves as President of the Al-Madinah Wichita Football Club, a semi-professional soccer club in Wichita, Kansas. Forest Systems is proud to sponsor the club and its efforts to unite communities, empower youth, and celebrate diversity.

The club will kick off with the men’s semi-pro season starting in April of this year. Ahead of that, we talked with Safwan about the club, its commitment to the community, and what he sees for its future.

Forest Systems (FS): How was Al-Madinah Wichita Football Club founded?

Safwan Islam (SI): There is a group of us who always played together during the free agency period in the summer when clubs and high schools couldn’t play or practice. Growing up, we all played on different teams, so it was nice to bring the community together during the off-season. Many of us went on to play college soccer and wanted to continue playing. We decided to break into the semi-pro scene all together.

FS: What does the club’s name mean?

SI: “Al-Madinah” means “The city” in Arabic. The rough translation of our name is “The city of Wichita football club.” We used Arabic because we want to showcase our commitment to celebrating the diversity in our community.

FS: What inspired the Youth Academy? What do you hope to achieve with it?

SI: We wanted to create a club that makes it easy for all young people to play. The biggest barrier to entry for soccer in America is money, and especially for underprivileged youth and refugees, it is nearly impossible to play at a competitive level. We want to change that, starting in our city.

FS: What’s the relationship between the semi-pro team and the Youth Academy?

SI: A semi-pro club should give the youth something to look up to and create culture to root for. The youth club is meant to generate the talent that we can call home-grown and officially add to the semi-pro roster. That symbiotic relationship is the ultimate goal.

FS: What role does sponsorship play in the club’s activities?

SI: Our club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Without sponsors and donors, we simply could not exist. They help us cover the fees for both the youth club and the semi-pro club. We are extremely grateful for sponsors such as Forest Systems who make it possible for us to achieve our mission.

FS: What’s your vision for the club’s future?

SI: I see the club continuing to grow its youth sector, and in the future, start a women’s semi-pro team as well. Eventually, I believe soccer will grow in our city to the point where Wichita will have its first pro team. Above all, we hope to have an influence on the game in Wichita and across the Midwest as well.

To meet members of the Forest team, please visit the About page on our website.