To celebrate the recent repairs to DeForest Park’s asphalt soccer courts, the public is invited to a ribbon-cutting ceremony that will be held at the park (6225 DeForest Ave.) on Friday, Feb. 17 at 3:30 p.m.
The courts were refurbished by the City of Long Beach in partnership with the Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation, U.S. Soccer Foundation and Herbalife Nutrition.
The park’s asphalt soccer courts are intended for residents to play futsal. Futsal is a faster-paced version of soccer played on a hard court that provides a smaller and smoother surface than a traditional grass soccer field. This allows players to move the ball around more quickly and work on their technical skills while playing at a highly-energized pace.
The ceremony will include remarks from Mayor Rex Richardson and city councilmembers Dr. Joni Ricks-Oddie and Al Austin, along with representatives from the Los Angeles Galaxy, U.S. Soccer Foundation and Herbalife.
“I cannot wait to see all the kids and families playing on these revitalized courts,” said Mayor Richardson in a statement from the City. “There’s always a demand for great spaces like this for sports in Long Beach, and this amazing project is going to be a benefit to our community for years to come. I thank our partners with the Los Angeles Galaxy Foundation, U.S. Soccer Foundation and Herbalife for their generous contribution.”
A soccer clinic taught by the boys and girls soccer teams from Jordan High School will be organized to teach attendees basic soccer skills at the courts following the ceremony. The Jordan High School marching band will also be participating in the ceremony.
The improvements made to two of the park’s three futsal courts include asphalt repair, acrylic resurfacing, new striping and new soccer goals.
Long Beach previously partnered with the U.S. Soccer Foundation in 2013 to convert a pair of underused tennis courts at DeForest Park into the futsal courts that are now being reopened.
A portion of the LA Galaxy Foundation and Herbalife Nutrition’s $1.25 million donation to a Joint Community Partnership Fund paid for the court renovation project. The fund is intended to help promote soccer, healthy lifestyles and nutrition education in underserved communities.
“We’re thrilled to join our longtime partners at LA Galaxy to unveil two new mini-pitches in the Long Beach community,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President and CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation in a statement from the City. “We know that soccer has the ability to bring people of all backgrounds and skill levels together, and we look forward to seeing how the community utilizes these pitches to do just that.”
Starting Feb. 17, the courts will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for public use from dawn to dusk. Organizations with permitted access prior to the refurbishment of the courts will have priority over evening play during the week and morning play on weekends. Permit requests for the futsal courts may be made through the Athletic Fields and Beach Permitting Office in person or online.
