our origins story
ABOUT US
We're Space United, a soccer and space tech organization launching our fans toward the future of space exploration! Founded by the Tobacia Brothers—Latino soccer athletes turned space engineers at SpaceX and Blue Origin—we're on a mission to combine our passion for sports and technology to create a fun and exciting future where everyone, everywhere can access the benefits of space. Our integrated club model features a global network of recreational soccer clubs made up of engineer-athletes who support our innovative STEM education, ‘Sports-in-Space’ initiative, and our unique Soccer & Space youth academy. Soon, we're launching a professional soccer club for our community, offering a cutting-edge tech gameday experience that trailblazes a new era of fan engagement, breaks barriers to STEM, and inspires a diverse new generation of innovators beyond geographic location.
OUR ORIGINS STORY
Our story began in 2014 when Camilo, once a soccer player with the Colombian professional club Millonarios FC, started his first day as an engineer at SpaceX and began building his two greatest passions—rockets and a soccer club. From then, we started our first Space United Football Club– a community for diverse space engineers to connect through soccer. But much to our excitement, the club's appeal quickly grew beyond the space industry, attracting a broader soccer community. Many who had never been exposed to space became intrigued by our unique team, opening up opportunities for conversations about our experiences in the space industry. Local soccer leaders invited us to participate in high-profile events–not only to compete but also to share and showcase our space experiences. We saw that our influence did not stop there–(we found out shortly after that) it extended to all generations, including youth.
Connecting with Youth
In 2019, we stepped into our first school-a Title I Spanish dual-language middle school where the majority of students were Latino and from low-income families. Emily Chow, Camilo's wife and a passionate multilingual educator, invited Camilo and his brothers, Andres and Sebastian—also engineers at Blue Origin and former soccer players—to speak to 120 students. Like many of today’s youth, these students felt disconnected from their education, craving something relevant and engaging. The moment the brothers connected soccer and space in their talk, the students lit up, instantly resonating with their shared language, backgrounds, and passions.
From then, we started expanding our reach—visiting schools and programs all over the world. The response was always the same: excitement, curiosity, and kids jumping from one question to another, maxing out Q&A sessions about soccer, space, and our favorite initiative—’Soccer in Space.’
2020 - Space United Seattle Expansion Team is established
Our team President joins Blue Origin and establishes the foundations for our Seattle expansion team. The team is mostly comprised of Blue Origin employees and is currently growing to compete in both indoor and outdoor tournament at the Starfire Soccer Complex.
2019 - SpaceX FC transitions to Space United FC and wins the Championship at the South Bay League in Los Angeles!
The club opens its roster to include members of other space companies, as well as soccer/space enthusiasts and re-brands to Space United in order to represent the unions of these great space supporters coming together on the pitch and beyond. In their first season as Space United, the team earned the Championship Trophy at the SouthBay Sports League.
2018 - SpaceX FC joins the first ever Association LA Indoor League and establishes its first co-ed team.
The club is invited to participate in the first ever Association LA Co-ed League presented by Kicks to The Pitch and Adidas LA. This collaboration enabled the opportunity to open the team’s roster to players from other space companies as well as other soccer lovers in the LA soccer community.
2016 - SpaceX FC unveils its first Team Crest, which honors the first Rocket Landing in the history of the space exploration.
The team roster grows as more SpaceX co-workers join and the team is renamed SpaceX FC. Following the landing of Falcon 9’s first stage in late 2015, the team releases its first official team crest, paying tribute to SpaceX’s autonomous landing drone ships.
2014 - Our first team is established under SpaceX-Men.
Camilo Tobacia joins SpaceX and recruits his coworkers to form “SpaceX-Men”, the first space soccer team to compete in the South Bay League.