New mini soccer field at Triboro Bridge playground

If you play basketball or bring your kids to the playground underneath the Triboro Bridge, you probably would have seen this new mini soccer field.

City officials, partnering with the New York City Football Club, Adidas and other companies, have opened 10 of these fields throughout the city. It’s part of the New York City Soccer Initiative, a public-private partnership, to build and maintain 50 of these pitches in underserved neighborhoods over the next five years.

These private partners have pledged a total of $3 million for new soccer pitches and free programming for New York City school children. Their goal is to reach 10,000 young people with after-school soccer and mentoring programs.

“Participating in sports while I was growing up contributed a great deal to the person I am today,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray, chair of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC. “I want every child in New York City to have that same opportunity.”