When soccer is played in a street or courtyard, the game looks uncomplicated and joyful. After all, why would anyone kick a ball around a typically cracked or dusty ground, if not for the sheer pleasure of playful competition?
My dad used to tell me about knocking a makeshift soccer ball around the street, somewhere in Naples, when, after the Second World War, proper balls were undoubtedly in very short supply. But in hard times, what happiness to turn one’s focus to a game with friends, no matter the pitch – or ball.
This is why I imagine the US Soccer Foundation, a charitable organisation that leads youth soccer development in America, is dedicating so much energy to new urban soccer pitches – taking the spirit and immediacy of street soccer to underserved neighbourhoods across the country. The project has the broad goal of reaching 1 million children in these communities by 2026, where they’ll have a chance to take the pitch for both organised soccer programs and pick-up games.
Chicago hits the mini-pitch
To reach such a goal, it will take about 1,000 newly constructed soccer spaces – customised, hardcourt surfaces built on underutilised grounds – which it’s hoped will provide not only safe areas to play, but also help improve the health and wellbeing of local families.
So far, the US Soccer Foundation has installed 450 mini-pitches, 50 of which were recently completed in Chicago, a project done in partnership with the city’s major pro soccer club, Chicago Fire FC. Most of these pitches are in the city’s south and west side areas, in neighbourhoods that have long needed clean and safe sports parks for kids.
Partnering with a Major League Soccer team surely helps raise the profile of the initiative in each city, especially in a sports-centric city like Chicago. If you consider its sporting history, Chicago is a town that has always prided itself on its spirited underdogs, an ideal not far removed from its involvement with mini-pitches. To this end, Chicago Fire FC’s Vice President Community Relations, Jessica Yavitz says the club focuses on opportunities for everyone, regardless of socio-economic status.
“It was important to ensure that areas across Chicago that lack the available resources are still afforded the opportunity to play,” she says. “By building these pitches in under-resourced communities, it not only reinforces our commitment to the community but our desire to provide access to the sport for all.”
- Safer soccer parks in many American cities
- More appealing outdoor areas for communities to gather
Mini-pitches like these have been received well in other US cities too, such as Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Denver and Baltimore, and are said to have made communities feel safer and helped residents become more active.
Perhaps most notably, 93% of people say that the mini-pitches serve as a community gathering place, according to the US Soccer Foundation. It’s little wonder – these playing areas look very appealing. They have colourful surfaces, lights, lockable storage units, benches and are generally bordered with neat fencing and gates.
The pitches don’t come cheaply – depending on the site, some news reports indicate $60,000 each, while others suggest more than $100,000 – but surely you can’t put a price on emboldening a needy community. Soccer alone can do this, particularly in these challenging times.
Yavitz says because the interest and desire to play is already deeply rooted in the Chicago community, it was a natural fit for the Fire and Chicago Soccer Foundation to invest in such spaces.
“Soccer is a global game, the world’s sport, and transcends all boundaries and cultures,” she says. “This creates a natural desire to get out and play with others who share a passion for the sport despite where someone is from.”
The US Soccer Foundation’s Senior Director, Safe Places to Play, Alex Bard agrees that soccer is a special sport because of its universal appeal, its low cost to play, and because different people can come together around it. These factors have helped drive the mini-pitch program.
“Soccer is the sport that unites people of all races, genders, identities, ages, and backgrounds – both as fans and players of the game,” says Bard. “Because of this, it is a great vehicle for social change.”
He notes that the mini-pitches are very thoughtfully planned, going through a community engagement process first to make sure that each location is selected on its potential to be positively impactful.
“While different partners have different priorities, overall all our pitches strive to increase usage by all community members, ensure that the location fosters more community pride and safety, and allows for different types of usage, from organised youth programming to free play for all people.”
- Older areas are transformed into modern soccer venues but the impact goes beyond the sport itself.
Once the foundation talks with a community and targets location options, it works with its partners to transform these spaces from their previously worn down state into vibrant playing fields. For example, some of the new pitch locations in Chicago are really wonderfully done and include Bogan Park, Marquette Park, Chopin Park, Washington Park, Irma C. Ruiz Park (Walnut Park) and Cornell Square Park – areas that have typically been neglected and where local kids could certainly use a boost.
Through this program, Bards says the foundation looks to help children reach their full potential both on and off the playing field.
“By evening the playing field and providing these innovative programs at no or low cost in neighborhoods where people live and go to school, we can positively impact children across the country – especially those who might have greater obstacles to overcome due to social and economic boundaries.”
The mini-pitches in Chicago were set up in cooperation with Chicago Fire FC and the Chicago Soccer Initiative partners – Chicago Park District, the Kenneth C. Griffin Charitable Fund, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
The national mini-pitch initiative started in 2015, in conjunction with $125m invested to this point to support soccer programs and pitch building.
By J.P. Pelosi
The Soccer Pitch Is Green 