Location secured for mini-pitch soccer court at Maytag Park

May 9—Organizers three months ago unveiled a plan to fundraise and install a mini-pitch soccer court at Maytag Park. Following city council action this past week, the organizers have now secured a location for the mini-pitch soccer court, and more than $115,000 has since been raised for the project.

Newton City Council on May 6 voted 6-0 to approve the location and donation agreement with Kick It Forward for the mini-pitch soccer court. Kick It Forward is a Des Moines-based nonprofit organization that finds innovative ways to eliminate financial barriers for youth to advance through soccer.

The mini-pitch is a small, futsal-style soccer field designed to provide safe places to play the game. Oftentimes, Kick It Forward transforms abandoned courts and other underutilized areas into mini-pitches where children and families can come together to spectate or participate in futsal, a fast-paced version of soccer.

When volunteers first presented the idea to council in February, it was thought that the mini-pitch would be built upon existing concrete from a basketball court. The new proposal from park board members does not co-locate or replace the basketball courts, making the mini-pitch a stand-alone feature in Maytag Park.

According to conceptual drawings included in the council agenda packet, the 58-foot by 112-foot mini-pitch (final size is not yet determined) would be located near the basketball court and the existing tennis courts. Its location was selected so as not to impede the ability for future improvements or the play from disc golfers.

Council member Randy Ervin said he has received a lot of questions from residents asking about the mini-pitch, particularly its location in Maytag Park.

Ervin said the group did look at other areas around town. But they settled on Maytag Park because they saw it as an opportunity to revitalize one of the city's most-used parks. Ervin said it made sense to him to strengthen what he felt was "one of the coolest parks in the city."

Council member Melissa Dalton said she does not make it a secret that she is a big advocate of being very purposeful with where the city places amenities in its parks system. After speaking with the group, Dalton said she feels like it is a fantastic opportunity for the community.

"They have raised almost all of the money they are needing to raise to get this going," Dalton said. "I think that's so great! I still wanted to make sure we are putting this somewhere that makes sense and that is going to be an asset to the park instead of a hindrance for future projects."

Fundraising for the project has been immensely successful thus far. As of press time, the fundraising campaign website (www.kifsoccer.org/newton) says about $115,866 has been raised, which is just $40,594 shy of the group's target goal of $156,460. Donations are still being accepted at the website.

Several Newton families and businesses have donated to the project, including Clemon Maki Insurance, Eye Care Center of Newton, Forbes Office Solutions, FNNB, Gregg Young Auto, Kinetic Edge, Magnum Automotive, Thombert Inc., Wallace Family Funeral Home and Walmart.

Brett Lundberg, an assistant soccer coach at Newton schools who helped kickstart the project, told Newton News the donor list just keeps on growing.

Lundberg said Maytag Park is the "flagship park" in Newton, and to have the mini-pitch there is a huge benefit to the project. Maytag Park gets the most traffic and it is so often used for community events. To him, the mini-pitch will be a great addition to the park by giving more people more options for recreation.

"I've never demanded anything in this entire project, but I've definitely had hopes and I've definitely had things that I felt really strongly about," Lundberg said. "And Maytag Park was one of those things because of those reasons."

In addition to the citizens involved in presenting the project to council, the organizations involved with the mini-pitch project include the City of Newton, Kick It Forward and Musco Lighting. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for naming rights and the center court logo of the mini-pitch.