Investing in future generations with football the common cause, adidas and the NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio have announced plans that will see $3 million invested in creating 50 pitches that span the five boroughs with the aim of offering the sport to 10,000 kids.
A public-private partnership that was launched in New York City yesterday, it could see fields begin to open for play as early as next year. A collaboration that has brought together the Mayor’s Fund, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, New York City Football Club and adidas, it's one that is grass-rooted in the future wellbeing of children across the city.
New York City Football Club players, David Villa, Frank Lampard and Jason Hernandez joined Head Coach Patrick Vieira and Sporting Director Claudio Reyna for the announcement on the programme that is dedicated to providing free programming for New York City school children focused on healthy, active living and mentorship.
Going into the finer details, the program will provide after-school soccer and mentoring programs, such as soccer clinics, festivals and youth summits to promote safe, active and connected communities. The New York City Soccer Initiative will also include a partnership with the City’s Young Men’s Initiative to offer mentorship opportunities.
Through the construction of these new fields, the New York City Soccer Initiative will aim to connect more young people to soccer, expand U.S. Soccer Foundation’s nationally-recognised soccer after-school program – Soccer for Success – and repurpose underutilised spaces in our most underserved neighborhoods, creating a safe, public area where a community can gather. All of the neighborhoods being selected to host the New York City Soccer Initiative fields are focuses of the Mayor’s Building Healthy Communities Initiative, the Parks Department’s Community Parks Initiative or the Young Men’s Initiative.
Fine work all round, you can read the full break down of the project here.
