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Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department will partner with Soccer 5® and the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD), to launch Soccer 5® For All In Miami Dade Parks – More Spaces to Play, More Places to Learn at several Miami-Dade County Parks, an initiative that will allow youth to have equal access opportunities to soccer, regardless of economic, racial or social background.
“Part of building a more equitable Miami-Dade means increasing access to community services – and that includes access to sports and outdoor recreation,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Thanks to this continued partnership and new initiative, there will be more opportunities for all our kids to be a part of robust soccer programming that will help them develop healthy habits for life.”
This project comes as Miami-Dade prepares to be one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Over the next three years, Miami-Dade Parks and Soccer 5® will expand their collaboration to launch multiple programs throughout the Miami-Dade County Parks system, starting with Kendall Soccer Park, that will include a series of programming and training events, and inclusive coaching sessions. Additionally, this new program will provide regular cultural learning experiences that connect energetic role models with children, inspiring them to follow the right path and introduce opportunities available to them through soccer.
“It’s a great day for our District 10 soccer-loving community and Kendall Soccer Park,” said Miami-Dade County Vice-Chairman Anthony Rodriguez. “This park exemplifies our continued commitment to investing in the health and well-being of our residents and the resilience of our community, by expanding access to programming at beautiful public spaces where families can come together to enjoy sports and recreation and the outdoors. I am so thankful to the Parks Department and Soccer 5® for their role in making this project a reality.”
Since 2010, Soccer 5® has invested $1 million in programming at Miami-Dade Park’s Kendall Soccer Park, and over $10 million in creating state of the art small-sided soccer fields where people of all ages and abilities can come enjoy the game. They will donate an additional $5000 to the Miami-Dade Parks Foundation to kick start this new community initiative.
“We are excited to team up again with our longstanding partner, Soccer 5®, for this expansion of our program offerings to provide thousands of youth who would not otherwise have this opportunity with exceptional soccer programming across the Miami-Dade Parks system,” said Miami-Dade County Parks Director Maria I. Nardi. “Soccer 5® shares in our commitment of providing recreation and sports opportunities that increase the health, well-being, and resiliency of all our community’s youth.”
MDPD will help support this initiative by providing uniform presence at all the community events, and members of the Police Soccer Team will volunteer with the kids as coaches and facilitators.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Soccer 5® to support the introduction of the sport of soccer to all children in every community across Miami-Dade County,” said Chris Carothers, Deputy Director for Miami-Dade Police.
President of Soccer 5® Scott Georgeson added, “We are very proud to work with Parks, Miami-Dade Police, and the community to bring this program to Miami-Dade kids and their parents. This is something we’ve been working on for some time.”
As part of this initiative, Soccer 5® welcomes additional support from local community members to further expand this project into Tropical Park and Amelia Earhart Park. To learn more about this initiative and how to register visit Soccer 5® .
About Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces:
Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces is the third largest accredited county park system in the United States, consisting of 287 parks and 40,000+ acres of parks and natural areas, comprised of active, passive parklands and nature preserves. It is one of the most unique park and recreation systems in the world and focused on placemaking, health and fitness, and conservation and stewardship. Miami-Dade Parks is a recipient of numerous awards, both as an agency as a whole and for the accomplishments of its individual facilities and programs. It is one of only 199 park and recreation agencies to be CAPRA-accredited. It is also a two-time recipient of the Governor’s Sterling Award and the National Recreation and Park Association Gold Medal Award for demonstrated excellence in long-range planning, resource management and agency recognition, among other accolades.
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