Published on 5/30/2026
Chelsea star Moises Caicedo established football academies in Ecuador, in a humanitarian project aimed at embracing talented children and keeping them away from the dangers of drugs and crime, by giving them a real opportunity to create their future in the world of football.
A playground in the south of the capital, Quito, is witnessing a large turnout of children and teenagers of all ages, who come to train within the “Nino Moy 23” academies founded by Caicedo and his family in the Guamani neighborhood, one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods, where the social challenges associated with poverty and poor education are increasing.
This project comes in light of official warnings from the Ecuadorian government regarding attempts by criminal gangs to attract children and teenagers, making these academies a safe outlet that provides an alternative sports and educational environment.
The “Nino Moy 23” project extends to include 38 academies distributed throughout Ecuador, including the Galapagos Islands, and more than 1,500 children between the ages of 5 and 16 participate in it, as part of a vision that aims to make football a means of social integration and building the future.
“Moises’s desire is for football to turn into a real life opportunity, and to give children a better path to the future,” said Academies Sports Director Gallo Rodriguez.
He added that Caicedo seeks to provide an environment that helps develop and create players capable of reaching professionalism, stressing that the basic idea is to reach the areas most in need.
Caicedo, 24 years old, recalls his personal experience when he started his career on clay courts in difficult circumstances, before reaching the English Premier League with Chelsea, becoming one of the most prominent stars in Ecuadorian football.
The player also aspires to develop the project in the future by establishing a professional team based on graduates of the academies, to be the nucleus of local and international professionalism, in a step that reflects the human dimension of his football career.
Ecuador will begin its World Cup campaign in its fifth participation against the African team in Group E on June 14 in Philadelphia, before meeting Curacao in Kansas City on June 20, then Germany in New Jersey after another five days.
