Many young people love soccer, but they don’t always have a place to play or access to coaching. In partnership with local schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, Major League Soccer teams and other organizations throughout the US, the UAE, Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba and the mission in Washington, DC, have built 12 all-weather soccer fields and provide free coaching for kids in underserved communities. These fields provide opportunities for deserving kids to stay fit and learn about teamwork while improving their soccer skills and playing in a safe environment.
“All kids deserve year-round access to quality and safe playing fields,” Ambassador Al Otaiba said at the opening of the Crotona Park Soccer Field in the Bronx in New York City on May 20, 2022. The partnership with New York City Football Club (NYCFC) will also provide ongoing and complimentary youth soccer programming for the local community.
Thousands of kids have benefitted from soccer fields that have been constructed in Boston, Harlem, Brooklyn, and the Bronx (New York City), Miami, East Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, Dallas, Cleveland, Atlantic City and Asbury Park (New Jersey).
UAE soccer teams have also pitched in to provide training to kids. When the UAE women’s national soccer team visited the US for training, coaches and players provided free clinics with local soccer organizations for kids from Philadelphia and Washington, DC.
