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Meet the Somerville couple behind a new affordable soccer club
Somerville United FC aims to give adult players a place to keep developing without paying thousands to play.
Robert Sifa Onjiko loved coaching soccer — but watching adult players pay thousands of dollars just to stay on the field finally pushed him away from the game.
The 32-year-old Somerville resident and Kenyan native had been volunteer coaching with a local semi-professional soccer club when frustration with the pay-to-play system became impossible to ignore.
In the Boston area, Onjiko said, many adult soccer clubs charge players anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 per season, often without guarantees of consistent playing time, adequate coaching, or injury coverage.
“As much as I’m coaching for free, these guys are paying a lot of money,” Onjiko said. “I used to keep sharing with my wife how I’m almost depressed, coaching these players in this kind of situation.”
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So about four months ago, he walked away from the grind of semi-professional soccer, planning instead to focus on Somerville youth soccer, where he had spent years volunteering and found joy in player development.
What he didn’t expect was how many former players would follow him. At first, it was just a couple messages. Then more came in. Soon, nearly half the roster he had once coached was checking in.
That response revealed something larger than loyalty: a gap in the Somerville’s soccer ecosystem.
“I realized that there was not just a high demand,” Onjiko said, “but a lack of quality coaching, affordable soccer, or people that just really care about player development,” he said.
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Those conversations quickly sparked bigger questions — and eventually, a plan — with his wife, Alesandra Grace Onjiko, 28, a Somerville resident who had been involved in his coaching journey from the beginning.
They kept coming back to the same question: What happens to players after they age out of youth soccer, high school teams, or college programs?
“Where do they go — and why don’t we have a place for them right here at home?” Robert asked.
That question became the foundation for Somerville United FC, a nonprofit semi-professional soccer club designed to give adult players a place to continue developing — without paying to play.
“Somerville doesn’t really have that opportunity for people past high school or college age to continue on in their training,” Alesandra said. “And not only that, but also to be able to play without having to pay an extraordinary amount to be considered part of a semi-professional team.”
The couple decided early on that the club would operate as a nonprofit, with accessibility as its guiding principle.
“Our goal is that no player has to pay to play anything,” Alesandra said.
Somerville United FC will compete in the American Premier Soccer League (APSL), a national fourth-tier league. According to Robert, no adult, community-based club in Somerville has previously competed at that level.
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Beyond affordability, the club is also rooted in inclusivity and community-building — values the Onjikos say reflect the city itself.
“Our main goal is … to make sure that no matter who you are, what your background is, where you’re from, that you have a place to feel and call home and be able to play the game that you love,” Alesandra said.
After securing nonprofit status in November, the club began preparing for its inaugural season. Tryouts are scheduled for Jan. 18 at Conway Park, with about 58 players confirmed to attend as of last week, the Onjikos said. Players complete an online application and pay a $15 tryout fee to help cover field rental costs.
From there, the club plans to select 40 players split between a first team and a reserve team, creating what Robert describes as a professional, merit-based environment.
“We are running this club like a professional club,” he said. “Because that’s where we want to go.”
Practice will begin in February, with the APSL season kicking off in March. The club also plans to launch a women’s team later this year — a move that has already generated strong interest, Robert said.
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What began as frustration has become something much larger: a community-driven experiment in access, belonging, and the belief that soccer — at any level — shouldn’t depend on price tags.
“It was just a dream,” Alesandra said. “And now it’s become reality.”
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