Mini-soccer fields installed across New York City help students on and off the pitch
NEW YORK -- Five years ago, the New York Soccer Initiative promised to install 50 mini-soccer fields in underserved communities, and they've made good on that commitment.
As CBS2's Steve Overmyer reports, the students are benefitting in more ways than one.
"I used to dance in third grade. Now that I play soccer, I pretend I'm dancing, and I control the ball like that," fifth grader Sandra Ramirez said.
Sandra took what she loved and applied it to soccer.
"It's super fun and exciting to run around and play with my teammates," she said.
Public School 90 in Coney Island is home to one of those 50 mini-pitches installed across New York City. It's part of the soccer initiative paid for by MLS champions NYCFC and the Mayor's Fund. More than 10,000 area students have been introduced to soccer.
"If you're only controlling the ball, you don't know how to share and you won't learn, but if you pass it, you learn how to share and also share other things," Sandra said. "It's fun to play soccer. It can change you and other sports can change you."
In fact, a recent Harvard study reveals children who are habitually active are 40% more likely to have better test scores, and educators at P.S. 90 are seeing the correlation.
"In order to get better you have to take risks. You might kick and miss the ball, but if you don't kick, then you're never going to get the ball," fourth grade teacher Dichaba McGinty said. "Snytime you are faced with a challenge in the classroom, taking those risks is what's gonna make you grow."
Being a part of a team sport gives kids something to look forward to, not only boosting their physical strength but nurturing their self-esteem.
"It makes me feel confident and, like ,free. I used to not like soccer, but it makes me feel confident about myself. So, now I love it," Sandra said.
The 50 fields aren't about finding the next superstar; it's about helping students find their confidence and learn how focus on the field can enhance focus in the classroom.