Just weeks after helping lead the U.S. Men’s National Team through a historic World Cup run, midfielder Tyler Adams arrived at Sandtown Park in South Fulton on July 21 with a goal beyond the soccer field: giving the next generation of players a place to start.
The new mini-pitch is part of a national effort by Allstate, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and Adams to bring permanent soccer facilities to communities with limited access to the sport. By converting underused spaces into mini-pitches, the initiative aims to give young players a safe place to play, while building on soccer’s growing popularity in the United States.
South Fulton became the latest stop in that effort, following mini-pitch unveilings in Detroit and Philadelphia.
For Adams, the mini-pitch project hits close to home.
Growing up about an hour and a half north of Manhattan, Adams and his friends did not have a designated soccer facility where they could play.
“We were just finding anything that we could play on,” Adams said. “I didn’t have something like this [mini-pitch]. It’s exactly why I want to do it now.”
Adams said the goal behind the project is to expand access to the sport and encourage more children to play.
“The biggest goal is to grow the game, get more kids wanting to play this game,” Adams said.
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Adams said the U.S. Soccer Foundation presented several potential locations, before the group ultimately chose the city of South Fulton, 20 miles southwest of Atlanta. He said Atlanta’s growing role in American soccer, including the new U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville and the city’s passionate fan base, made the metro area a natural fit for the next investment.
“I think it was only right to kind of end this the right way and continue to add infrastructure in a community like [South Fulton], where soccer means so much with Atlanta United,” Adams said.
For families who attended the July 21 unveiling, the new pitch represents more than a place to play soccer. It offers children new opportunities to explore a sport that has captured the country’s attention following the this summer’s World Cup.
Barrington and Dayonna Outram brought their 7-year-old son to the event, where he participated in the youth clinic. He was among a group of children who got the chance to step onto the new pitch and play with Adams.
“It’s really great to see them give them different chances and opportunities to be great,” Barrington Outram said. “It’s more than just basketball and football and baseball.”
Outram said the new pitch exposes more children to sports they may not have otherwise considered, while giving families another place to gather in the community. The family’s interest in soccer also grew during the World Cup.
“He’s a Messi fan now,” Dayonna Outram said of her son. “He’s out there practicing, watching videos.”
The clinic marked their son’s first organized soccer event, and his parents said they hope it will not be his last.
As soccer continues to grow across the country, Adams said moments like the July 21 mini-pitch unveiling show how the sport’s World Cup momentum can translate into opportunities at the local level.
“We’re in an amazing moment right now that we can capitalize on doing things like this,” Adams said of creating mini-pitches in communities.
For Adams, maintaining that excitement will require more than just attention during the World Cup. He said continued investment in communities is what will help the sport to grow. Projects such as the South Fulton mini-pitch are one way to turn temporary excitement into lasting opportunities for young players.
“Kids are going to find themselves here, whenever they play on it,” Adams said.
