I like this but the issue is this can only be successful in urban environments. NYC ok sure. But in sprawly cities it can't. Soccer is a suburban sport and it's difficult to make it more urban to enable futsal to thrive. Kids can't play pickup soccer it's difficult, only way to play soccer is through club organized sports in which mommy can DRIVE them to their destination. The suburbs are keeping the growth of the game. Johnny and Timmy can't meet because they are too far away from each other and spots to play. It's too dangerous and to long to travel to each other houses by bike or bus or even get to a public park that would have a court or field. Only way is by parents and cars and that ruins the whole point. In other countries kids are closer they can play together. One can decide who is king of the block or the city in terms of pickup soccer in like a day. Everyone would know. Kids would be playing against varied competition week in and out for fun in other countries. From there scouts would pick up on the buzz then funnel the children accordingly into the proper academies. We need better urban planning of our cities to correct the mistakes of suburbia. That being said futsal courts are doable. And even most Bigsoccer users can make it happen in their neck of the woods. Instead of complaining about you can actually do something about it. Start sending emails to public planning or whoever has control over the sort of thing. Make petitions, convince neighboring soccer clubs to invest or support for idea. Then have them commit to using them or encouraging their players to use them. Yell at your school board for converting areas into makeshift futsal spaces...etc.
20? In the whole country? That's a joke. It's a PR move. And, the impression I get is that these are fancy, super expensive, "mini-pitches." There is no need for that. You can put mini goals on asphalt for probably less than the cost of an asphalt basketball court.
I disagree with everything you said up to what's quoted above. As for what's quoted above - this should be a USSF initiative. They should be the point entity on that. Hell, they should be paying for simple asphalt "mini-pitches" whenever a new municipal park is built, as a proof of concept. It would be immensely helpful if they would provide a standardized plan for inexpensive, asphalt mini-pitches. So, when Juan Q. Citizen goes to the city council meeting, and they say "what do you mean small soccer courts?" There is a high quality, easily understood, reference that can be shown the council members. I look forward to the day I go to the city council meeting and they say "soccer on asphalt? or the same surface as the basketball courts? How?! What would you do for goals?" All of the skeptical, derisive questions you could expect to receive when hitting them up out of the blue with that request. If the Fed just made a standard plan for inexpensive mini-pitches . ..... that, alone, would make a huge difference. Let alone, putting some real effort into the push.
You are aware this is from THREE years ago right? https://ussoccerfoundation.org/programs/safe-places-to-play-mini-pitches https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/p...nd-epysa-parter-build-15-mini-pitches-and-two https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/foundation/mini-pitches Philly is building 15 in their area alone. https://www.chicago-fire.com/post/2...soccer-foundation-build-50-mini-soccer-fields this is 2 years old, Chicago Fire is building 50 in the Chicagoland area... https://ussoccerfoundation.org/programs/new-york-city-soccer-initiative NYCFC is helping to build 50 in New York City https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/20...rriers-by-reimagining-american-soccer-culture Atlanta United is building 10 in the City limits These are just some examples.
The automobile-centric nature of our suburban infrastructure is a huge issue, no doubt. Much more serious problem than the lack of a robust soccer culture, IMHO. As a suburban soccer Dad, I saw this problem first-hand, and it's one reason I'm such an advocate for school soccer. My son made nearly all of his 'soccer friends' playing for his Middle & High School teams. That led to lots of pick up soccer in local parks & fields, as well as open-court at local indoor facilities. He played club for 13 years and for the most part only saw those teammates at practices, games, & tourneys. His school teams weren't, for the most part, as "good" as his club teams, but he ended up playing street soccer with teammates from the former during his teen years.
Multipurpose equipment so nobody has to worry they're losing prime basketball playing area... https://www.outdoordesign.com.au/news-info/sporting-goal-fusion/4690.htm
It's a good idea. But, there is enough space in parks to make a dedicated small sided soccer court. And, if you go multipurpose you're gong to have beefs between the soccer players and basketball players. JMO>
Good idea but you can also fix a lot of the issues by playing 3v3-5v5 at practice until they reach 13-14 years old. You can't hide in a 3v3 game and you lose that "position" that so many coaches throw kids into at such an early age. I tried 3v3 every practice this past season and it was incredible how much we improved from a technical standpoint and decision making standpoint just for 10-15 minutes twice a week.
USSF should do a lot of things, but they won't, because USSF doesn't care about anything except for enriching itself.
If you find somewhere in your neighborhood you can click a button on the US Soccer Foundation to apply for a grant. But that would mean getting off your ass. $766,125 was awarded in 2018.
As long as you own or have a 10 year lease on the site, have %50 of the total project funding, of which you'll need %66 of the court material costs covered....that's a hell of a button you have there if you just need to click it to get all that in place, have you talked to Amazon? From the US Soccer Fed instructions... Eligibility Requirements Land Ownership – application must own or hold a 10+ year lease on the field space 50% Funded – at the time of application, 50% of project funding must be in hand Project Timeline – project should have clear timeline, with plan to complete project within 1 year of potential grant award Non-Profit Status – applicants must be a non-profit entity (nonprofit organization, government, school, church) Soccer-Specific Play Space – field space must be majority-use soccer Funding Support and Grant Use Maximum support by category (Amounts may vary depending on availability of funds and established funding agreements with the Foundation's preferred vendors): Irrigation = $15,000, which could cover 100% of irrigation material costs (excludes installation) Lighting = $25,000 of product material cost for single field projects; $50,000 of product material cost for multi-field projects (grantees are eligible for up to 50% of product material cost) Sport Court = Up to 33% of PowerGame™ material cost Grant Use: All Safe Places to Play grants function as product credit towards the grant project Adjustments to scope of project must be approved by the Foundation
By all means, if you are with a club that owns fields, gets a good deal on a failed school/athletic club, etc, look into the USSFoundation grants. But my opinion is that working locally with multiple stakeholders within a community (rec programs, landowner, other non-profits) will get you closer to your goal....
Glad someone gets to see it. There are countries were soccer isn't number one yet can churn out technically proficient and world class players from urban areas. It's not so much the culture than it is an accessibility and means. Kids can't play before or after school because school isn't near home, recess is 30min and ends after elementary school, fields are closed, courts are locked, Mrs. Smith won't let her son out let alone late into the night because she's scared of nothing in a boring subdivision. These are the issues. Agreed Another issue is that people on here to complain. This thread is still recent, but a year later down the road, I don't want to come and see people still complain. I want to see people posting photos of a new court or tons of people of all ages using it in their community. Don't depend on USSF to save us. This is the exact grassroots level you all need to get involved in. Get the courts, start the leagues, make the tournaments, tell your kids and their friends to play on it instead of video games,etc.
Get the boys n girls from our urban poor and rural poor to go all in on the beautiful game here in our sports culture. I.e. cast a very wide net and see who the sport hauls in. The game sells itself to any player. Our Fed still just does not penetrate certain massive demographics in our nation. Pick up soccer culture here in Houston is a beast! My buddies and I drive with a ball in the trunk, for decades now. Our diversity drives this for sure. Correct.
Kyle Martino is on a drive to create and install "hideaway" goals on basketball courts. There's a bunch of content on his Instagram page and elsewhere. First day at test site pic.twitter.com/BGTtY347KE— Over Under Initiative (@OverUnderPlay) October 21, 2019 I do worry about all the moving parts that have to be in place to open/close the goal.
Looks cool for soccer or hockey, but I’d have concerns that for basketball, it will create seams/cracks in the court right under the basket that could cause a lot of rolled ankles.
[QUOTE="soccernatzi, post: 37678892, member: 327568" Thanks to America's belief in exceptionalism and isolationism. 19th century Americans wouldn't dare be fond/love a sport created by England..the former oppressor/ruler. That's why baseball and american football were created, then later on basketball. [/QUOTE] This is kookoo crazy. Mexico didn't have much of a football culture until they hosted the WC in 86. And, then it grew incrementally. Was Mexico driven by exceptionalism, isolationism, and not daring to be fond of/love a sport created by England? You're crazy.
Part of that is because the baseball leagues that rent the field, pay for the maintenance, and work to maintain them, guard the fields like Fort Knox. If you go to play pick up, you'll get booted. Similarly, I've played in pickup soccer games and been kicked off by friggen' AYSO people, because it was "their field." More than once.
I don't want to be a naysayer regarding something I support so strongly. But, this thing looks unnecessarily complicated. Why not have a goal that extends from the sides of the basketball post. Yes, the goal would have a post down the middle. But, uh, if you hit the basketball post, it's obviously a goal. Then the goal would just be there. There would be no maintenance required. And it would be a hell of a lot less expensive