Mount Prospect backs pastor's pitch for mini soccer field near school
When Dani Martinez came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 6, he didn't know much about the country, the language or the people.
“All I knew is that I loved soccer,” he recently told the Mount Prospect village board. “And as I was growing up, I kept looking for places to play, and my parents would often make time to drive me, 15 or 30 minutes sometimes, to the closest park to play. Many times we would show up and we would find the fields locked or the goals chained up, or on certain occasions even told to get off.”
Now, two decades later, the 26-year-old Mount Prospect resident and youth pastor hopes to make sure other soccer-loving kids don't have the same experience.
His goal is to create a 4,500-square-foot mini soccer pitch south of the community garden at Euclid Elementary School, 711 E. Euclid Ave.
Martinez said he sees his 6-year-old self when he looks out his apartment window and sees children playing soccer in tiny alleys, parking lots and on the grass at the school, using cones to mark the goals.
“There is a passion for the sport in this community. But there isn't always a place,” said Martinez, youth pastor at Bridge Community Church's Randhurst campus.
He has partnered with the Euclid school staff to apply for approximately $150,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds from the village.
The village board supported the request last week, subject to the approval of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The location stands in the midst of a mixed-income, ethnically diverse neighborhood.
“It would be a safe space,” Martinez said. “And it would be a community builder.”
The pitch would measure 90 by 50 feet and would have artificial grass and rebound boards.
The smaller size helps young players with skill development.
“As opposed to a full-size field, you're seeing a lot more of the ball than you would if you were playing an 11-a-side game,” he said of the field, which he hopes to have installed by next summer.
Euclid Principal Karen Daly said the River Trails Elementary School District 26 board is excited about the project, but was waiting to hear more about Mount Prospect's decision about the grant application before continuing the conversation.
Trustee Michael Zadel said he is familiar with the activities in and around the school — he has a grandson who attended Euclid.
“Certainly, it's a center point for a lot of the kids in that community and families,” Zadel said. “Moms and dads go with the kids.”
Trustee Richard Rogers noted to the project's proximity to the Boxwood neighborhood.
“This is something that's desperately needed in the area,” he said. “The Boxwood area has been a problem area for many, many years. It's being cleaned up now. It's getting to be the place where people want to live instead of have to live.”