MANKATO — A strange land, unfamiliar people, another language and new customs.

Immigrants face those obstacles and more when they come to Minnesota, a land of frigid, snowy winters. It’s never easy approaching strangers to ask for help, and that’s why local programs help make the transition to Mankato easier.

One of those programs was not designed with immigrants in mind but has proven effective in helping younger newcomers adapt to culture here. Organized sports often have played a major role in getting adolescent and teenage immigrants accepted into the school system and community as a whole.

“Soccer definitely helped me,” said Shafi Qanyare, a 21-year-old from Somalia who graduated from Mankato East in 2008. “It helped me learn English faster and helped me make new friends.”

Qanyare, his 11 brothers and sisters, and parents emigrated to the U.S. in 2000 when the war broke out in Somalia. One of his brothers was already living in St. Paul and that’s where the family landed right away. In less than a year, they were in Mankato, settling into the community.

Shafi knew very little English as a 10-year-old immigrant, and Tom Gjersvig got him involved in the Mankato United Soccer Club right away. It became apparent quickly that Shafi’s soccer skills were advanced for his age, at least by U.S. standards. He was soon playing up a couple of age groups where coach Cyrus Azarbod took him under his wing.

“It was hard for me at first,” Qanyare said. “I didn’t understand very much, but I caught on after awhile. Coach Azarbod helped me a lot until I got to

the high school level.”

In seventh grade, Qanyare was deemed good enough to play on the Mankato East varsity team. He went on to star for the Cougars for six years, leading them to the section finals his senior season.

“Soccer made my first year (in the East building) a lot easier,” Shafi said. “I was in seventh grade, but I was saying hi to juniors and seniors in the hallways because I knew them from soccer. I was still adjusting to life in the U.S., but it wasn’t that difficult anymore.”

East activities director Todd Waterbury estimates that around 5 percent of his school’s student body is made up of Sudanese, Hispanic and Somalian students. One of his jobs is to encourage all students to go out for extracurricular activities, and he makes sure to include immigrant families when he makes his rounds.

“We’ve had some get involved in track and cross country, and a few in basketball, but the main draw is soccer,” Waterbury said. “Because of their backgrounds, it’s a sport they enjoy and one they can be successful in right away.

“I think it really helps these students. They develop a certain camaraderie that comes with being part of a team.”

One of this year’s versions of Qanyare is junior Mohamud Ahmed. Also a native of Somalia, he arrived in the U.S. two years ago and settled in Atlanta, Ga., before moving with his family to Mankato to join his cousins.

He’s not yet proficient in English but has made great strides in that area since his arrival. He said communicating with coaches and teammates during his first summer in Mankato was difficult.

“It got better pretty fast,” Ahmed said. “In high school I already knew some players. It was easier for me.”

Mankato East head coach Jerrad Aspelund agrees. He said it was a challenge at first to explain things to Ahmed but said the older kids on the team who spoke the same language helped with translation.

“By the time we were halfway through the season, he was understanding just about everything I was saying,” Aspelund said. “Soccer is kind of a language of its own and it’s pretty universal. He caught on quickly.”

As for making friends and gaining acceptance, Aspelund said soccer is a definite plus for the immigrant student athletes.

“I don’t teach in the school system, but it’s evident that kids like Mohamoud buddy up pretty fast,” he said. “I know he talks to his teammates in school, and that’s everyone from native Minnesotans to fellow Somalians.”

Athletic director Waterbury said Metona Wamma, the school’s English Language Learner teacher, doubles as a soccer coach and has been a key figure for the immigrants at East.

“Metone does a great job in getting students to try it and come out for the teams,” Waterbury said. “We both view it as a terrific opportunity for them to meet new people, to make new friends.”

The immigrant landscape has changed since Wamma arrived at Mankato East in 1997. When he started, it was mostly Hmong and Hispanic students in his classes. Now it is mostly African students.

“Obviously, the longer they have been in the school system, the further advanced they are in speaking English and in handling academics,” Wamma said. “I think sports helps them a lot, too. I always say the soccer field is an extension of my classroom. I always remind my assistant coaches to speak good English and to model good behavior.”

Wamma said just because an immigrant student goes out for sports, there’s no guarantee it will be a smooth transition into high school.

He remembers a situation at East when he was overseeing the lunchroom one day. A Somali student and a native-born Minnesota student got into a fight. They were both on the soccer team and he had to physically separate them.

“You know what? They eventually became best friends,” Wamma said. “They bonded and helped turn our team around that season.”