Mayor Greg Fischer, Metro Councilmembers and officials from Louisville Parks and Recreation helped dedicate a new five-a-side soccer field at Beechmont Community Center in south Louisville today.
Funding for the new soccer field is the result of a partnership between the Louisville Parks Foundation, a non-profit that supports Louisville Parks and Recreation, and Louisville City FC. The outdoor artificial turf field is the first of five planned for local parks in south Louisville.
“Soccer is a growing sport in our community. So when the opportunity presented itself to add this new amenity to parks, with the help of our friends at LouCity, we seized it!,” said Louisville Parks Foundation, CEO, Brooke Pardue. “We hope other individuals and organizations will see the value and help us complete our goal of building four more fields.”
“I’m grateful to Louisville City FC, which is creating a huge buzz around soccer right now in our city, for joining the Parks Foundation to help to create soccer fields in South Louisville where all residents, bound by a love for this sport, can come together,” Mayor Greg Fischer said.
“As our community and team continue to grow, LouCity makes this donation with the future in mind. The community’s youth will be an integral part of both our city and our support one day and we are excited to see this project come to fruition,” said Brad Estes, Executive Vice President of Louisville City FC.
Five-a-side soccer is a variation of soccer, where each team fields five players. Other differences include a smaller pitch, smaller goals and a reduced game duration. Matches are played on artificial grass pitches that may be enclosed within a barrier or “cage” to prevent the ball from leaving the playing area and keep the game flowing.
The $75,000 project was funded by the Louisville Parks Foundation and includes a turf donation from Louisville City FC valued at $45,000. The Louisville Parks Foundation is seeking to raise an additional $383,000 to complete the other four fields.
Anyone interested in donating to future fields should contact Brooke Pardue or visit lpfky.org.
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