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Forbes
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
New York City FC and Partners Turn Concrete Into Community With '26 for 26'
Overview of the first of "26 for 26" mini-pitches supported by the New York City Soccer Initiative ... More (NYCSI)—the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, New York City FC, Etihad Airways, and Capital Rx. The mini-pitch was installed at PS 211 Elm Tree Elementary School in the borough of Queens and opened on June 2, 2025. At a public schoolyard in Queens, New York, a patch of blue turf has replaced an underutilized slab of grey concrete. Installed by New York City Football Club, the turf features in what is the first of twenty-six mini-pitches to be built throughout the city in celebration of FIFA World Cup 2026. The '26 for 26' are part of the club's long-term commitment to youth development through community infrastructure. 'These pitches are about helping to create resources and access in these communities, to connect these kids and their families for an ongoing period of time,' New York City FC Chief Operating Officer Jennifer O'Sullivan said. The '26 for 26' is phase two of the New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI), a public-private partnership between NYCFC, the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Adidas, and Etihad Airways. Phase one was launched in 2016 to establish fifty mini-pitches across the city's five boroughs and expand access to free soccer programming. Now, with '26 for 26,' NYCFC is working with the Mayor's Fund, Etihad Airways, and Capital Rx to add twenty-six more pitches by 2026. When completed, the total of NYCSI mini-pitches across the city will number more than eighty. From the beginning, NYCSI partners aimed to complete the first fifty mini-pitches within five years. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal was reached on time in 2021. 'By doing that,' O'Sullivan said, 'we created the largest community soccer network in the country and something that we're really, really proud of.' Building Community By Mini-Pitch Each mini-pitch is more than a playing surface. It is physical infrastructure that serves as a platform for community engagement, developing relationships with youth, families, and neighbors through programs that are run on them. NYCFC runs free programming, primarily through its City In The Community (CITC) charitable foundation arm, that has directly engaged more than 260,000 youth. In addition to soccer and STEM programming, the club supports events like the Community Cup, a citywide co-ed 5v5 tournament, and the Consulate Cup, an annual charity tournament featuring teams from New York's diplomatic community. Bailee Eaglin, NYCFC's Director of Community Development, helps lead the CITC efforts to connect infrastructure with long-term community programming. 'We are looking to do something sustainable. It's not just putting down turf or putting down acrylic,' she said. 'Our goal is to create spaces, programs, and a community network that have lasting impact.' Youth who play on the mini-pitches come from many different backgrounds, with a wide range of nationalities, ethnicities, and languages. Many speak English as a second language. For some, it is the first time they connect with peers who don't share their household language or daily experiences. But, on the pitch, O'Sullivan said, 'they all can speak the language of soccer.' The mini-pitches are developed with the idea that the children who grow up playing on them will form connections through the sport that continue throughout their lives. One way is in their becoming mentors, interns, or staff members with NYCFC and its partner organizations, which scores of participants have gone on to do. As O'Sullivan noted, the sense of responsibility and commitment to community impact—locally, nationally, and internationally—extends throughout NYCFC and other clubs in the City Football Group (CFG) global network, including Manchester City FC. The infrastructure work in New York is part of a broader commitment that began in 2008, when the Abu Dhabi United Group acquired Manchester City and invested in long-term facilities development as a key pillar of the club's identity and growth. Cooperation And Community In Construction The origins of NYCFC mini-pitches date to 2010, when, during a summer tour of the U.S., Manchester City partnered with the UAE Embassy to build one on the rooftop at PS72 The Lexington Academy in East Harlem. Designed as a safe, open space where children in an urban environment could play year-round, the mini-pitch became the launch site where NYCFC was announced as a Major League Soccer club three years later. The Lexington Academy project was a first-of-its-kind design. It was also the first of what has become a national community soccer field program supported by the UAE Embassy and Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba. Since then, the Embassy's initiative has created safe soccer spaces for youth in ten U.S. cities, working with local partners such as the Cleveland Clinic, Boston Public Schools, Boston Children's Hospital, state recovery programs, and Major League Soccer clubs. One of those fields, developed with NYCFC, opened in the Bronx, New York, in 2022. Building even a single mini-pitch is a layered process that involves NYCFC's infrastructure team and front office, CITC, and multiple stakeholders in public-private partnership, including school administrators, city agencies such as the Department of Education and Department of Parks & Recreation, and construction contractors. Each project requires close coordination to meet organizational and municipal standards for safety, accessibility, and sustainability. 'Once we've got the agreements and correct permits in place, it's a case of assessing each site on a case-by-case basis,' said Tony Lynn, City Football Group's Vice President of Infrastructure & Facilities Management for the Americas. 'It's understanding existing conditions, any constraints, and any vision for playability that the school or parks department may have.' For each mini-pitch project, Lynn's team manages site assessments and materials selection, procurement, and logistics. One of the distinctive features of the mini-pitches is the use of blue turf, a proprietary color designed for visual identity and a surface that is user-friendly for soccer. As Lynn explained, 'It does require more maintenance over time but gives a much better long-term finish and performance. That's important for our main use, which is delivering and activating football programs on the site with our CITC program.' There are tradeoffs, however. A blue-hued acrylic surface is the alternative to turf. It requires less maintenance once installed, but is better suited for court sports than for soccer. It also cannot be laid in freezing temperatures, which complicates scheduling. 'One of the big challenges will be getting through all the pitches we want to finish in time for the World Cup next year,' Lynn said. A standard for each installation is that it must be observed on-site by representatives from the NYCFC infrastructure team, CITC staff, and the respective school or parks department. 'From a stakeholder and end-user standpoint,' Lynn continued, 'it's important that people from the club are present to ensure the work is fit for purpose and meets our specifications, and that someone from the schools or parks is there, too. They'll be the end-users along with us and responsible for maintenance, including warranties and upkeep, after construction is complete.' That level of coordination was on display at PS 211 in Queens, where the first of the '26 for 26' mini-pitches officially opened. Executives, staff, and players from NYCFC joined students, community members, Mayor Eric Adams, and Council Member Francisco Moya for the celebration. The school, located in Moya's district, received initial funding for the project through his support and partnership. O'Sullivan recognized the role of elected officials like Moya and Adams, describing their 'really important commitment to the children of New York City, and watching these kids grow up with access to the game through mini-pitches and the soccer programming that CITC delivers on those pitches.' New York City Mayor Eric Adams, representatives from the New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI)—the ... More Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City, New York City FC, Etihad Airways, and Capital Rx—and New York City Council Member Francisco Moya celebrate the opening of the first of "26 for 26" mini-pitches at PS 211 Elm Tree Elementary School, in the borough of Queens, on June 2, 2025. Infrastructure for the Future The mini-pitches are part of a broader infrastructure vision that includes community anchors like Etihad Park. Scheduled to open in 2027, the 25,000-seat, fully electric stadium located in Queens will be the first soccer-specific venue in New York City's history. It will also house NYCFC's headquarters and serve as the permanent home of CITC. As O'Sullivan sees it, the new stadium builds on a decade of foundational work. 'There's a great deal of excitement around what this stadium will mean and how we use it as a community resource, and how we take this foundational work that we've done over the past ten years and make an even bigger impact in the community.' 'We've been so welcomed in this neighborhood in Queens and Willets Point and beyond,' she added. 'We're just really excited because the sky is really the limit in terms of what else we can do and how much more positively we can impact our communities when we have that home.' NYCFC is also investing in infrastructure elsewhere across the city. In 2023, the club partnered with the Randall's Island Park Alliance to upgrade the 5,000-seat Icahn Stadium. The club contributed $3 million and technical expertise to install a new grass pitch and enhance amenities, creating a state-of-the-art soccer facility that maintains the stadium's IAAF-certified track and field designation. The facility continues to serve the local community and now also functions as a home venue for NYCFC II, the club's MLS Next Pro affiliate. While the size and scale of a stadium are magnitudes greater than a mini-pitch, both serve as focal points for youth and their families—places to come together, celebrate, and connect through soccer. 'Many of the youth come from countries and families where this is in their blood, it's in their DNA, and soccer is the one thing that unites everybody in the city,' O'Sullivan said. 'So, for us, it's really an opportunity to provide access and resources to kids who really, really need it and really appreciate it.' Lynn reiterated the long-term impact, as well. 'The number of children using them daily, the quality of experience they get from our coaches, and the hours of activation will create a legacy,' he said. 'We've put in the time, have the expertise, and we're going above and beyond to give back to the community.' There will be plenty of soccer at all levels in New York between now and the 2026 World Cup. The effects of the '26 for 26' initiative will extend well beyond it. In the hearts and minds of the people behind NYCFC and NYCSI, the work represents the next chapter in a generations-long commitment to the city and its communities. 'I don't think, by any means, anybody sees our work as ever being done once it is completed,' O'Sullivan said. 'We will look to what's next.'
Hypebeast
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Only NY & NYCFC Return to Honor "The FC Made in NYC'
Only NYhas revealed a fourth collection in partnership withNYCFC(New York City Football Club), continuing the brand's community-focused tie-ups with various New York organizations. The latest NYCFC capsule is comprised of two graphic tees, a crewneck sweatshirt, an embroidered cap, and a crochet bucket hat. The main graphic, applied to the back of a co-branded tee and a crewneck pullover, shows a lively park scene against the city skyline, complete with a soccer game in progress. Another illustrated graphic tee puts the NYCFC pigeon mascot front and center, evoking a style reminiscent of NYC-based artistKeith Haring. Headwear is a highlight in the range, led by the crochet bucket hat boasting 'NEW YORK CITY' on the crown and the NYCFC emblem on the top. Alternatively, Only NY offers a classic ball cap with understated embroidery reading 'The FC Made in NYC.' The collection is topped off with a duo of collectible objects: first, a printed pint glass shows the pigeon mascot dressed in full team merch, and lastly, a special poster print of the aforementioned park illustration. The partners last linked up in May, when Only NY unveiled the Borough Night City Celebration Series collection. Having become an official licensee in 2025, Only NY's own Micah Belamarich illustrated the Five Boroughs T-shirt, which featured symbols of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. See the campaign in the gallery above and shop the collection on theOnly NY webstorebeginning on July 24.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Dániel Sallói scores in 74th minute for Sporting KC in 1-1 tie with NYCFC
Dániel Sallói scored a goal in the 74th minute for Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night in a 1-1 tie with New York City FC, the first regular-season matchup between the clubs since 2018. Kansas City (6-11-6) lost 3-0 at home to Seattle last Saturday to snap a three-game unbeaten streak. Sallói skipped a volley into the net in the 74th minute to make it 1-1. Andrés Perea scored his first goal of the season in the 22nd to give NYCFC a 1-0 lead. Perea, on the counter-attack, rolled a shot into the net from just outside the area. John Pulskamp stopped three shots for Sporting. Matt Freese had four saves for New York (10-8-5).
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dániel Sallói scores in 74th minute for Sporting KC in 1-1 tie with NYCFC
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Dániel Sallói scored a goal in the 74th minute for Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night in a 1-1 tie with New York City FC, the first regular-season matchup between the clubs since 2018. Kansas City (6-11-6) lost 3-0 at home to Seattle last Saturday to snap a three-game unbeaten streak. Sallói skipped a volley into the net in the 74th minute to make it 1-1. Andrés Perea scored his first goal of the season in the 22nd to give NYCFC a 1-0 lead. Perea, on the counter-attack, rolled a shot into the net from just outside the area. John Pulskamp stopped three shots for Sporting. Matt Freese had four saves for New York (10-8-5). ___ AP soccer: The Associated Press
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dániel Sallói scores in 74th minute for Sporting KC in 1-1 tie with NYCFC
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Dániel Sallói scored a goal in the 74th minute for Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night in a 1-1 tie with New York City FC, the first regular-season matchup between the clubs since 2018. Kansas City (6-11-6) lost 3-0 at home to Seattle last Saturday to snap a three-game unbeaten streak. Sallói skipped a volley into the net in the 74th minute to make it 1-1. Andrés Perea scored his first goal of the season in the 22nd to give NYCFC a 1-0 lead. Perea, on the counter-attack, rolled a shot into the net from just outside the area. John Pulskamp stopped three shots for Sporting. Matt Freese had four saves for New York (10-8-5). ___ AP soccer:
