Umoja Games tourney makes Midwest debut in Schaumburg

The Umoja Games, a traveling soccer tournament for Muslim youths and their families now in its sixth year, made its Midwest debut Saturday in Schaumburg.

It will continue through Monday at Olympic Park.

Among the activities for the more than 500 players and spectators are a Hunger Van where nutritious lunches are packed for others in need, said Mustafa Dinani, chairman of the Umoja Outreach Foundation.

There also are many professionals on hand - including doctors, mathematicians and accountants - for the young players to meet through the foundation's mentor program, he said.

A change this year is a stepped-up emphasis on girls, Dinani said. While some Muslim girls choose to wear hijabs in their everyday lives and others don't, those who do will be able to play in shorts and without head coverings in the privacy of one field whose fences will be covered with tarps and where only female spectators will be allowed, Dinani said.