Mini-Pitch Gets Everyone Into The Game
Oct 01, 2022Posted by james
Tim Howard, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the City of Yonkers and a corporate sponsor recently opened a mini-pitch at the city’s Pelton Park. Among the participants at the ribbon cutting were students from the local Boys & Girls Club. The event launched the Tim Howard Foundation to provide resources, experiences and opportunities for children facing challenges in their families or communities. The foundation also supports youth with Tourette Syndrome and associated disorders.
Tim is a former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper from New Jersey. When he left the game, Tim held multiple records, including 121 caps (when competing internationally, the number of appearances by a player for a national team), 119 starts, 62 wins and eight World Cup appearances.
The Yonkers mini-pitch project was funded by Tim’s foundation and corporate donations. Mini-pitches are artificial turf or hard surfaces surrounded by a rebound board system with integrated goals. The ball remains constantly in-play and the field generates greater soccer engagement with increased ball contact, more in-game decisions by players and more goals to create a faster, more intensive experience than a game on a regular pitch. Techniques, movement and reaction speeds can be tested on a mini-pitch.
The Pelton Park mini-pitch marked the latest project by the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s “It’s Everyone’s Game” national movement to ensure children in underserved communities enjoy the health and youth development benefits of the game. The U.S. Soccer Foundation has installed more than 500 mini-pitches nationwide with the goal to install 1,000 by 2026. The field transforms a location by enabling sports to be played in a small space.
Everyone involved with the Yonkers ceremony during September praised the success of another public-private partnership to benefit our youth and our communities.
by james on Oct 01, 2022 |
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