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.”
“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.
5-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.
About the Louisville Parks Foundation:
The Louisville Parks Foundation was formed as a non-profit in December 2005 to support parks and community programs not funded by other local non-profits. In 2013, the Louisville Jack O’Lantern Spectacular opened in Iroquois Park and the producers of the show partnered with the Louisville Parks Foundation, which became the recipient of the proceeds. Since then, the foundation has completed major projects in California, Lannan, and Russell Lee parks. In addition to the soccer field project, the Foundation is also currently raising funds to install the first “Skate Spot” in the Midwest at Breslin Park. For more information, visit www.lpfky.org.
About Louisville City FC:
Since its launch in 2014, Louisville City FC has been committed to serving the community of Louisville and state of Kentucky as the lone professional soccer team. The 2017 season marked the third year of play for LouCity in the United Soccer League (USL), a professional soccer league based in the United States and Canada. On October 26, the Louisville Metro Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new soccer-specific stadium in the Butchertown neighborhood with a projected opening slated for March 2020.
Finishing in the top five in average attendance in the USL at Slugger Field since 2015, LouCity’s remarkable 2017 campaign included winning the USL Cup in the club’s first appearance in the final. Get the latest news on LouCity FC at LouisvilleCityFC.com and via the club’s channels on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
