By Juan Pablo Sebastián
With the participation of 40 teams from across the state and a family-friendly atmosphere full of excitement and healthy competition, the Rotary Club of Playas de Rosarito held the 15th annual “Preventing Addictions” youth soccer tournament—an initiative launched in 2010 as part of a long-standing strategy to promote addiction prevention through sports.
The matches took place over the weekend on the fields of Leyes de Reforma, Andrés Luna Rodríguez, and El Profe neighborhoods, with the exception of the Emiliano Zapata field—where the tournament began 15 years ago under the leadership of Rotarian Bernabé Hernández Armas.
Professional coach and organizing committee representative Jesús Gómez Valencia explained that while previous editions have featured more than 60 teams, this year participation was limited to 40 due to the reduced number of available fields.
Teams competed in four male divisions, from ages 7 to 14.
The awards ceremony was held on Sunday afternoon, October 26, at the Leyes de Reforma field, led by representatives of the Rotary Club of Playas de Rosarito. Special guest Professor Nazif López—coach of Mexico’s women’s national team and champion of the 5v5 tournament in Europe—shared an inspiring message with the young players, encouraging them to work hard and follow their dreams.
The tournament champions in each division were:
- 2011–2012 category: Cachorros de Rosarito (champions); Ceffo BC Femenil (runner-up)
- 2013–2014 category: CIX 13 de Tijuana (champions); Cefo Rosarito (runner-up)
- 2015–2016 category: CIX 15 de Tijuana (champions); Kastores de Tecate (runner-up)
- 2017–2018 category: Leones Negros de Rosarito (champions); Cachorros Rosarito (runner-up)
