Our Team

Mauricio Rojas, owner and director of (or Chief Kicker at) Kiwi Kick Stars, is passionate about football and getting kids moving. With Kiwi Kick Stars, he has created a safe space with happy vibes where kids can grow their confidence and resilience while learning valuable physical, social and life skills.

Originally from Colombia, Mauricio has been involved in football at various levels, from grassroots all the way to the English Football Premier League in the United Kingdom, where he spent time coaching at Crystal Palace, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers Football Club in their academies and foundation areas. From coaching professional adult football players to little kids learning the game and everyone in between—he’s even been to Kenya to coach coaches as part of the Premier Skill Programme run and organised by the Premier League! Another massive highlight: Mauricio was the Team Liaison Officer at the London Olympics for the Uruguayan National Team, getting to work with pros like Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani (among others) and currently working in the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup 2023! All this experience has honed Mauricio’s keen eye for talent. He can spot the best in everyone and is very good at helping people to realise their potential. But the most important thing to Mauricio is helping people around him be as happy as he is, and through the Kiwi Kick Stars programme he spreads that joy to kids.

Our coaches are hand-selected by Mauricio, who has a hands-on approach and shares his wealth of experience through close mentorship with them. Like Mauricio, all the Kiwi Kick Star coaches are players, or former players, who are passionate about the game and providing engaging activities that kids will love. Everyone at Kiwi Kick Stars are Kiwi Kick Stars!

The Kiwi Kick Stars programme is the culmination of a lifetime of experience, resulting in a programme that kids love that we are passionate about sharing with the community. Keep on Kicking!

Our coaches

We only work with the best coaches:

TESTIMONIALS

What is Kiwi Kick Stars?

Kiwi Kick Stars is so much more than your average kids programme or football sessions. In our sessions, you won’t find boring repetition. No way! Our passionate and experienced coaches put fun at the heart of everything we do. 

We provide a chilled-out environment for kids aged 5–12 with an emphasis on fun, helping kids take a first step towards enjoying exercise and physical activity—whether a love of football develops along with that or not! Kiwi Kick Stars’ workshops provide a solid foundation for any sport or physical activity they might pursue in the future. 

Rather than playing football, we use components of the game in activities that create sweaty, happy kids—sometimes with a ball, often not! Using story narratives to engage kids, our coaches build detailed scenes and put the kids right at the centre of that world. Some days they’ll be astronauts, others they’ll be deep sea divers, next time might be jungle explorers—the only limit to our adventures is the sky!

There are no winners and losers here; a Kiwi Kick Star is having a great time while improving their motor skills and coordination, building confidence, resilience and creativity, learning how to play with others, focus and problem solve.

Why football? Well, owner and director (or Chief Kicker) Mauricio Rojas has been involved in football his whole life at all levels. From Fulham Football Club in the UK to New Zealand Football and lots of other places in between. Mauricio is passionate about football, seeing it as the most inclusive and accessible game in the world, regardless of who you are and where you come from. 

But, at Kiwi Kick Stars, football isn’t the main attraction… the main attraction is fun! Your kid will love being a Kiwi Kick Star.