ST. LOUIS — St. Louis CITY SC has partnered with two organizations to install 11 mini-pitches to provide safe places for kids to learn and play soccer.
CITY SC, American Family Insurance and the U.S. Soccer Foundation have teamed up to install the mini-pitches across the St. Louis region. The project is set to be completed by the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The mini-pitches are small, customized, hard court surfaces that are suited for organized soccer and pickup games, a press release said. They will be constructed in areas within a 15-mile radius of CITYPARK and are lacking or offering little soccer programming.
“One of our missions as a club has always been to make soccer accessible to all,” said St. Louis CITY SC’s CEO Carolyn Kindle. “Not only will the mini-pitches provide an opportunity for residents to play soccer together, but it will also unite the community through the power of sport. We strive to be an exceptional club and neighbor and want to help grow the beautiful game by ensuring soccer can be enjoyed across the region, whether it’s through a pickup game, tournaments or training sessions. We can’t thank American Family Insurance and the U.S. Soccer Foundation enough for partnering with us on this important project.”
The mini-pitches serve as an extension of St. Louis' CITY Futures platform. Events will be organized and staffed by the club's community coaches and will partner with the City of St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, as well as other community organizations to create programming.
Three mini-pitches were announced on Wednesday:
- Ferguson, Missouri
- Fairmont City, Illinois
- DeSoto Park in the City of St. Louis
The mini-pitch at Desoto Park is in the progress of being constructed. Fairmount City mini-pitch will break ground this fall with Ferguson's scheduled for next year.
The final eight mini-pitches will be announced in the future following input from area residents, park and recreation departments and community groups, the release said.
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