In many cities across the country, children have limited access to spaces to play their favorite sports. One of the D.C.-area’s sports teams is providing a helping hand to add a space for kids in Southeast to play soccer.
Coming soon, a new multiuse soccer field with basketball hoops will be built just west of Garfield Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The hard-court field will allow users to play futsal, a non-grass version of soccer, just beneath Interstate 695.
The Washington Spirit women’s soccer team and CVS Health will partner together to fund the field as part of a multiyear investment by the pharmacy giant to add similar fields in cities across the country.
“This means making community fields safe and accessible for people to gather, play and connect,” Melissa Schulman, senior vice president of government and public affairs for CVS Health, said during a press conference Friday afternoon.
Emeka Moneme, president of the Navy Yard Business Improvement District, told WTOP the restoration of the area has been a decade in the making.
What was once a skate park has become an underutilized space next to Garfield Park. As the Navy Yard BID began kicking around ideas for what to do with the space, an area for recreational use received immediate support.
Along with the multiuse field, the whole project will also include pickleball courts and a skate park. The Navy Yard BID already received some donations for the pickleball portion.
The last fragment of the development that needed support was the soccer field. That’s when Moneme reached out to the Spirit and Kim Stone, the team’s CEO.
“As we were talking about it, to me, the partner that made the most sense, given the strength of the brand, the exceptional success of the team was the Spirit,” he said.
Impacts that ‘last a lifetime’
The Washington Spirit brought in CVS Health, the team’s kit sponsor, to help with the project. Owner Michele Kang said the revitalization of the site near Garfield Park is an example of what happens when teams, leagues, sponsors and local leaders work together to help the community.
“By investing in inclusive multiuse spaces like this, we’re helping to create places that inspire the next generation of players and fans,” Kang said.
The project’s current budget is $1 million, and the Navy Yard BID is still collecting donations. Moneme said the hope is they can start building the court area for the field later this year.
For Moneme, the partnership is more than completing a renovation. It is a commitment to the Navy Yard, Capitol Hill, and all its residents to provide quality recreational spaces for all to enjoy.
“We want to start thinking about and providing places for our youth to be able to stay healthy, to come together, and to have safe fun,” Moneme said. “So, this is a really important investment in that goal.”
In attendance for the announcement was former U.S. women’s soccer star Alex Morgan, who is also working with CVS on its new fields project. She says as a mom herself, she understands the need for spaces for kids to play and have fun.
“Ensuring access to safe outdoor space isn’t just about sports. It’s a public health issue,” Morgan said. “We know when kids have places where they can move, connect and build community, the impact can last a lifetime.”
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