This Thursday, New York City FC, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, adidas, and Etihad Airways, founders of the New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI) will inaugurate the newest group of mini-soccer pitches across the five boroughs.
To celebrate the third year of NYCSI, the Club and its founding partners will be hosting the main ribbon-cutting community event with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation at the new Flushing Meadows Corona Park pitch on October 10.
This year’s event will be headlined by a photo contest and on-site exhibition launched in collaboration with Goal Click, featuring photography that showcases street soccer culture on NYCSI mini-pitches across the City, as captured by local youth.
Goal Click is a global storytelling project finding inspirational people from every country in the world to tell stories about themselves and their communities through football – all initially using disposable analogue cameras and their own words.
Over the course of September, NYCFC teamed up with Goal Click to tell the inside story of NYCSI, through the eyes and voices of young participants across the five boroughs. We gave 10 young people disposable cameras to tell the story of their own football life and the impact of the pitches on their community.
Matthew Barrett, co-founder of Goal Click, said: “Goal Click gives people the power and freedom to tell their own stories from their own perspective. We have loved seeing what these young kids of New York City have created - a raw and intimate look inside their football worlds, in a way that no one from outside their community could do.
“When you see these photos and read the stories, it is obvious that NYCFC are doing impactful work in these communities and we are proud to be part of telling that story.”
A panel of judges, including NYCFC’s partners in the New York City Soccer Initiative, will choose a winning entry at the event on Thursday and the young photographer will have the opportunity to join the Club’s photography team to shoot NYCFC’s MLS Playoffs Eastern Conference semifinal match from pitch-side.
To read the full stories go to goal-click.com or Instagram @goalclick and stay tuned to NYCFC’s social media channels this week to see some of the entries which will be featured at the one-day outdoor exhibition on Thursday in Queens.
About the New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI)
In 2016, New York City FC, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, adidas, Etihad Airways, and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, created the New York City Soccer Initiative: a pledge to build, maintain and program 50 soccer pitches in underserved NYC neighborhoods in just five years.
By removing barriers to the beautiful game, NYCSI, a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership, seeks to improve the lives of New York City kids through the power of soccer for generations to come.
In addition to providing access to street soccer for players of all levels in 50 neighborhoods, City in the Community, the charity proudly supported by NYCFC, and partners will provide free programming on these pitches, promoting active, healthy lifestyles and mentorship throughout the year.
