WOODLAND PARK, NEW JERSEY — The Palestino Soccer Academy in Woodland Park, New Jersey, organized unscheduled practices to help children process emotions after five of a player's close family friends were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Obaida Al Amleh, a 14-year-old youth player, and his teammates practiced for several hours following the news of the deaths.

Coach Omar Abdulaziz established the Palestino Soccer Academy approximately three years prior to June 2026. The club aims to teach soccer within Palestinian culture and address the emotional impact of the Gaza conflict on local children. Abdulaziz said, "We could hear their frustrations, they were emotionally unwell."

The academy serves children from various backgrounds, with a focus on the local Palestinian-American community. Approximately 60 children practice soccer at Frank D Zaccaria Memorial Park in Woodland Park. Abdulaziz, who relocated from the West Bank to Puerto Rico as a teenager in the 1980s, stated, "Soccer, to us, is a moment to disconnect, a moment of tranquility, a moment to detach from the suffering of reality."

Taim Nadin, a 13-year-old youth player originally from Qatar, also practices with the academy. Nadin said, "I'm telling you, without soccer the world has no meaning. Without soccer in life there's nothing. If I didn't play soccer, I'd be nothing, right?" He added, "All I care about is God and soccer."

Obaida Al Amleh was born in the West Bank and spent part of his childhood there. He said, "When he gets on the pitch he forgets about everything and just focuses on the game, on the players, on how they play. You can ball in the pitch, or you can bawl at home, I guess." Al Amleh also commented regarding soccer player Lamine Yamal waving a Palestinian flag during FC Barcelona's La Liga championship parade, stating, "I thought it was very special for the people who are going through the worst right now."