It started off as a fun way for kids to get together and learn a sport, and it ended up becoming a family. Now, N Zone Sports at FishHawk is their family’s business.
Gabriel and Carissa Mbulo signed their son, Diego, up for flag football with N Zone Sports when his travel soccer team’s schedule became too hectic.
Gabriel explained, “N Zone is about having fun and playing a sport. Before my son got into that, I coached him in a travel soccer team, but he got burnt out. We have some really talented kids who could be playing competitively, but parents do not want that kind of pressure environment. They want their kids to have fun but don’t want to be on the road every weekend.”
Diego played with N Zone for 12 years, and now that he and their daughter, Karina, are in college, the Mbulos jumped at the opportunity to purchase the FishHawk franchise.
They believe deeply in the mission of N Zone, and Carissa said, “We know the owner who started the FishHawk location, and this is the kind of atmosphere we want to continue. Nationwide, it’s all a big family.”
It truly has become a family endeavor. Now, Diego coaches the 3 and 4-year-olds and is a referee for their soccer program while Karina runs their social media platform. Carissa laughed when she said they adopted 300 other kids on weekends to keep themselves busy.
Plus, the Mbulos cannot be more thankful for the friends who have become like family. Gabriel said, “Some of the people who are helping us are people who coached my son at different stages in life. People who ref and coach are people he’s played with. We’ve built a family. It’s amazing how things come full circle.”
N Zone Sports offer soccer and flag football for those ages 3-16, and they play locally at The Chapel at FishHawk. Practice is only once a week, with games on Saturdays. The first games begin around 8:30 a.m. and the final games end by 2:30 p.m. If you miss practice, you’re still welcome to play in the game; plus, requests to play on the same team as a friend are honored whenever possible.
Interested in traveling? There are opportunities for state and national tournaments. Diego ended up competing in Indiana and Texas, even winning N Zone’s Super Bowl one year, where he earned a commemorative ring. The beauty of N Zone Sports is your family decides how competitive you want to be and how far you want to go.
The next opportunity to sign up for the spring season, which begins in late March and early April, will be in February. Occasional spots may open up mid-season for players to jump in right away; if interested, please email fishhawk@nzonesports.com or call 970-5320.
For more information, visit https://nzonesports.com/fishhawk or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NZone.Sports.Fishhawk.
