Soccer is an internationally renowned sport played by people of many backgrounds in countries all over the world.
But, in the United States, there are noticeable disparities in regards to race and income, impacting who gets to play the game at the youth level, especially in an organized setting. In 2018, former U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo called American soccer a “rich, white kid sport,” highlighting a lack of diversity in the U.S. game, while calling out barriers to entry like high costs associated with joining a team.
Players Development Academy (PDA), a New Jersey-based youth soccer club and training program, is using its latest community service initiative to help bridge the gap, by opening mini soccer fields in underserved New Jersey communities.
“We feel that there’s a real middle class feel about soccer in America. And we want to do anything that we can do to bring in other diverse communities and give them access to the game,” said PDA Boys Coaching Director Gerry McKeown.
PDA’s newest community-building venture was unveiled in New Brunswick last Wednesday, when it opened a mini soccer pitch next to a playground at 77 Harvey Street. It’s located in a residential neighborhood, where neighbors said generations of kids would use anything they could find, like trash cans, to set up makeshift soccer goals.
Now those same kids have a dedicated space to play the game. And the city will partner with PDA to bring volunteer-based drills and instructional events to the space on a weekly basis, organizers said.
“I used to play in this park when I was little,” said Keith Jones, New Brunswick’s Director of Human and Community Services. “ So being able to provide resources and opportunities to all the residents in New Brunswick is...it’s my life’s work. It’s a joy.”
The park is the second collaboration between the city and PDA. Six months ago, a similar soccer pitch was opened at Joyce Kilmer Park, just a mile south, Jones said.
“Soccer for most of my community, you know, the Black community, we tend to shy away from it in many ways,” Jones said. “So this is a (chance) to provide that space and an opportunity.”
A new soccer field, designed to bring the sport to "underserved" communities, opened in New Brunswick, Wednesday April 21, 2021.
Similar initiatives have popped up in some of New Jersey’s largest cities before, and this field is one of 10 the PDA plans to build in New Jersey.
Robert Woods Johnson Hospital and the RWJ Barnabas Health network donated $65,000 to open the field, McKeown said. The project was spearheaded by PDA’s non-profit urban initiative program.
A few kids and teenagers kicked soccer balls around the new space Wednesday, following a brief unveiling ceremony. Some said they plan to stop by the field any chance they get.
“When I was younger we didn’t really have a lot of places to play, we would just find a piece of open land...or we’d play on the basketball courts” Randy Arronis, 19, said.
“If not, we would have to walk like 20 minutes away to find the closest field to us. So having this available at any time of the day, and so close to home, it’s a great thing.”
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Tennyson Donyèa may be reached at tcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @TennysonTV.
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