In the course of shooting for my assignments during the previous term, I literally stumbled upon a team of young football players training in a park near my house. That was the beginning of a delightful relationship.

Over the last few months, I showed up almost every Saturdays, and documented their training sessions. Even after my assignments were fulfilled, I kept going back, sometimes returning with good photographs, sometimes none at all.

The team is made up of an ethnically diverse demographic, most of whom are second-generation immigrants. Despite their cultural differences, the universal appeal of football proves incredible in uniting this group of children. Governed by the same rules on the field, the boys learn about sportsmanship, fair play and discipline from the coach and also each other.

As a football player myself, I am familiar with the emotions- anticipation, exhilaration, passion to name a few, related to the game. However, I am unaccustomed to seeing such seriousness from children at tender ages of four to ten. At times the boys seem to mimic the reactions of adult football players, while other times they break down and cry like boys their age.

In the process of photographing and interviewing them, I felt the floodgate of communication between the boys and me opening up. I am no longer the passive observer; instead I am now the conversationalist. The result is a subjective translation of my understanding and realization about the boys.