Places to Play: Leadville, CO

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- - Soccer Field Open in Harlem
  - What was once a rundown asphalt playground in the center of Harlem is now home to an oasis of green where youth soccer players from FC Harlem and local organizations can play the game they love.
    
    On April 9, 2010 the U.S. Soccer Foundation joined Irv Smalls, Executive Director of FC Harlem, Major League Soccer, The Children’s Aid Society, FieldTurf, and local politicians for the grand opening of a synthetic-turf soccer field in downtown Harlem.
    
    "I’m proud of this day and this moment. As far as FC Harlem, we’ve come a long way, and without the support of the U.S. Soccer Foundation behind us, this would not have been possible. It’s helping a lot of all these kids in the communities and I’m proud of it." Glen Daley, Founder of FC Harlem
  - Project GOAL
  - “Over the last four years, Project GOAL has completely changed my life around and made a difference,” said Miguel Lara, a sophomore at Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
    
    “A combination of academics and passion for soccer at Project GOAL are important things to the administration,” said Miguel. “The intelligent teachers strive to make sure the students excel in all of their classes and progress throughout the year. Maintaining good grades and positive conduct are keys to being successful with the program.”
    
    With a Program Grant from the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Project GOAL was able to deflect some of its biggest costs, and as a result, allow more kids to benefit from the organization.
  - Places to Grow: SYS
  - From player to coach: How one youth gained confidence through soccer, and how he now shares his enthusiasm for the game to impact the lives of others.
    
    “As a coach, showing them the fun part of soccer is the most important because it gets their interest in the game,” said 17-year-old Jerome Reano. The teen is a member of the Santo Domingo Pueblo tribe in Albuquerque, New Mexico and has been playing soccer throughout the majority of his life. More recently, however, Reano has transitioned from player to coach, as well as referee.
  - Places to Learn: SCYSO
  - Joe Supe knew that the "F" he saw next to several courses on the boy's report card stood for failing, not fabuloso, as the boy had told his parents. Read how soccer helped get the boy back on track.
  - Places to Play: Leadville, CO
  - “Soccer is far and away the most unifying force in our ethnically diverse community. For children, teens and adults, the soccer pitch is where we see barriers being broken down. This spectacular new field will only accelerate the process.” – Leadville High School Coach Makali Beck
  - Places to Play: Vista, CA
  - The blacktop court at Raintree Park in Vista, California was barren and lonely. All of the action was at the nearby soccer fields where children crowded the space and arrived early with the hopes of getting a chance to play.
  - Soccer In (and Off!) the Streets
  - The U.S. Soccer Foundation developed a Mini-Pitch Program that converts small, vacant spaces into fields. Read how one grantee uses the program to keep kids safe on and off the streets.
    
    After finishing their field - one grantee uses diverse programming to keep children involved. “One of our older participants just graduated high school this year,” began Jason Longshore, Communications Director of Soccer in the Streets. Jason knows the young man has beaten the odds. He explains, “A close childhood friend of his is in jail because of gang activity and the quote that always sticks with me is, ‘If we had kept our soccer team together playing, he wouldn't have been wasting his time with those guys.’”
  - The Soccer Guy
  - Youth Leadership Institute

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August 21, 2010
12:00 AM - 11:45 PM
Columbus Crew: Passback Collection

August 28, 2010
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Passback Tour: Albuquerque, NM

September 11, 2010
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Passback Tour: Dallas, TX

September 25, 2010
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Passback Tour: San Diego, CA

Superfund Site Becomes Soccer Success Story

By Hannah Maier

“Soccer is far and away the most unifying force in our ethnically diverse community. For children, teens and adults, the soccer pitch is where we see barriers being broken down. This spectacular new field will only accelerate the process.” – Leadville High School Coach Makali Beck

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Once a booming mining town, Leadville, Colo., attracted people from across the country in search of silver and prosperity during the Colorado Silver Boom in the late 19th century. The city had a population of over 40,000 in 1880, which was the second-most in the state - just behind Denver (United States Census Bureau).

In 2005, the population of Leadville was estimated to have shrunk to 2,821 – nearly a 93 percent decrease.

The decline in mining drove most of the population away and devastated the city’s economy and also left contamination with acids and heavy metals in Leadville’s soil and water. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated former mining areas in the city as Superfund sites – federally designated hazardous waste sites.

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Today many - although still not all - of the Superfund sites have been cleaned, but Leadville still toils with being one of the poorest areas in Colorado and is looking for ways to jumpstart its economy. The city has been promoting it historical relevance to encourage tourism and has also been expanding its capacity for outdoor recreation (Lance Armstrong just won the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike cycling race on Saturday, Aug. 15).

This desire to bolster outdoor activity motivated Leadville to apply for a Planning Grant with the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and in 2007, it became one of five such recipients. Clough Harbour & Associates (CHA), the Foundation’s Partner for Soccer Facility Design and Planning Services, played a vital role in the process.

CHA worked with Leadville to help build a field in the city’s Lake County Community Park, which, upon completion, became the highest synthetic turf field in the world.

“Our single-field project is small by most standards, but from day one CHA approached our project with the attitude that it couldn’t be permitted to fail,” said Peter Frykholm, Chair of the Lake County Community Park Project. “And thanks to people like CHA and the Foundation, it hasn’t.

“Receiving a Planning Grant from the US Soccer Foundation was paramount to our project. With plenty of dreams but not a dollar in the bank, the professionally rendered site plan by Clough Harbor & Associates gave our project immediate credibility.”

On Saturday, Aug. 29, Leadville will mark the grand opening of its field in Lake County Community Park at 10 a.m. MDT. The celebration will have a ceremony, community picnic, music and other events.

The opening of this field not only commemorates a new and great place to play soccer, but it symbolizes the efforts of a once-thriving city that is trying to regain its footing. In Frykholm’s words, Leadville is “a small Colorado mining town will take another huge step from Superfund toward super fun.”