Since the start of the Work to Play Program at Goethe, UI kids have always traveled to different communities across Chicago for Friday Game Days. Along the way they have met other kids their age who love to play soccer and practice healthy eating habits as much as they do. The Goethe team enjoys every chance they get to travel with their parents, brothers, sisters and coaches on Fridays after school. But they have always wondered, why they were not able to host Friday Game Days and showcase their soccer and sportsmanship skills to their neighbors and teachers.
Now that wondering has come to an end as the Goethe team recently received the opportunity of a lifetime! The reigning English Premier League Champions, Manchester City, the United Arab Emirates Embassy along with The Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation’s Take the Field Initiative all teamed up to bring a brand new state of the art turf soccer field to Haas Park and the Logan Square community.
Manchester City and Haas Park invited the Goethe team to help with the soccer field unveiling. TV cameras and photographers snapped shots of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba, Manchester City Ambassador Mike Summerbee, along with Gary Hopkins from Manchester City and their City Soccer in the Community initiative all while the Goethe team participated in soccer drills on a field they can call their own for many years to come.
The Goethe team and their school is a big part of the Logan Square community and now has a safe space to play soccer every day of the week. They can also play at any time of the day or night thanks to the new stadium lighting that shines brightly on the rolling soccer balls. After school practices will now be held at the new soccer field. Most importantly UI kids from Goethe can now host other UI schools from across the city of Chicago for Friday Game Days in their community of Logan Square!
A BIG Urban Initiatives thank you goes out to Manchester City FC, Gary Hopkins, Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, Dr. Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, Joe Henry at Haas Park and the Chicago Park District for bringing a new and safe place for Goethe kids and their families to play and laugh in their own backyard.
You can view more photos of the Gothe team and the event HERE and video of the event HERE
