U.S. Soccer Foundation and Musco Lighting Partnership Announcement

Jul 23, 2019

Mini-Pitch-Logos

U.S. Soccer Foundation and Musco Lighting Partner with Fields & Futures to Create 10 Mini-pitches in Support of Oklahoma City Public Schools’ Pathway to Greatness Initiative

Energy Assist Foundation and 7-Eleven to Support with Programming and Community Outreach

The U.S. Soccer Foundation and Musco Lighting, a global leader in sports lighting, have partnered to announce the creation of 10 mini-pitches with Fields & Futures in Oklahoma City. These new mini-pitches will support efforts to help Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) grow sports participation across the district and promote physical activity for its students, as part of the district’s Pathway to Greatness initiative. The monetary value of these projects well exceed half million dollars and does not include contributions by OKCPS and Energy Assist Foundation.

Says Fields & Futures co-founder Tim McLaughlin, “From inception, Fields & Futures has relied on the generosity of donors and partners to help fulfill our goal of rebuilding and maintaining athletic facilities at all OKCPS middle and high school sites, in order to give Oklahoma City students the opportunity to play on quality athletic fields and outdoor play spaces. As part of the OKCPS Pathway to Greatness initiative, we are excited to help transform six elementary schools to middle schools and bring quality outdoor athletic facilities to that many more neighborhoods and school communities. We are proud to partner with the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Musco to give OKCPS middle school students a resource they likely would not have otherwise.”

McLaughlin, who is also co-owner of OKC Energy FC and a strong advocate for making soccer a more accessible sport for all children, added, “With existing futsal courts at Taft and Roosevelt Middle School, these 10 new courts will ensure every OKCPS middle school will have access to this fast-growing sport, as well as another resource to encourage student participation in sports.”

Says U.S. Soccer Foundation President & CEO Ed Foster-Simeon, “One of the biggest barriers to our sport is the lack of safe places to play. These 10 new mini-pitches at Oklahoma City Public Schools will dramatically increase opportunities to play the game. This means more children will not only enjoy soccer, but also develop critical life skills that come with playing the game.”

“We strongly believe in the Fields & Futures mission of helping Oklahoma City Public Schools empower students with fitness, confidence, and teamwork skills through participation in soccer,” said Jeff Rogers, Vice President of Musco. “We designed these mini-pitches to simplify the construction and installation process so that the kids can get out there playing, and along with U.S. Soccer Foundation, the team at Fields & Futures has been an outstanding partner in that endeavor.”

Energy Assist Foundation executive director Mickey Dollens said, “Aligning with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to support their national Safe Places to Play initiative is a driving force behind the creation of our foundation. With support from 7-Eleven, we are excited to help Fields & Futures and OKCPS bring these 10 new futsal courts to our community, and on behalf of OKC Energy FC coaches, players and club leadership, we look forward to seeing OKCPS students enjoy these courts long into the future.”

When not being used by each respective school, these courts will be available for community use, subject to availability and school approvals.

Follow @FieldsFutures and @EnergyAssist_ for information regarding a community-wide court opening and celebration in Fall 2019.

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For more information, please contact:

U.S. Soccer Foundation | ussoccerfoundation.org | @ussoccerfndn

Jennifer Arnold, [email protected]

202-872-6662

Musco Lighting | musco.com. | @muscolighting

Eduardo Zamarripa, [email protected]

641-676-2652

Fields & Futures | Fieldsandfutures.org | @fieldsfutures

Dot Rhyne, [email protected], 405-605-9550

Energy Assist Foundation | energyfc.com/energyassist | @energyassist_

Mickey Dollens, [email protected], 405-898-7578

Oklahoma City Public Schools | okcps.org | @okcps

Beth Harrison, [email protected], 405-625-5258

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