By Chelle

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

"26 by 2026"

The Rave Foundation and Seattle Sounders have a goal to build 26 mini-pitch fields by 2026 when the World Cup hopefully comes to Seattle. A mini-pitch is a small playfield designed to encourage exercise and skill development.  

Last year, during Covid, another mini-pitch field opened at Midway Park in Des Moines. Maya Mendoza-Exstrom, a Sounders Vice president, was part of the quiet opening day.

Maya, aka an esteemed soccer and basketball Highline High School graduate, commented on how she loved being able to give back to her community, especially when it had a direct positive impact on her old stomping grounds.

The Midway mini-pitch is a dual basketball court and mini soccer field with a small wall for individual skill development. The murals, installed a few months later, were designed by Midway students. Partners for this install were Symetra, the Storm, the Sounders FC, and the RAVE Foundation.

On Thursday, July 1, 2021, another soccer mini-pitch opened at Seahurst Elementary in Burien, thanks to efforts from the Sounders FC, RAVE Foundation, Delta Airlines, and Earthgen.

This one includes a sitting area, a new mural on the back of the portable, and a rain garden specifically designed to help filter storm runoff before it reaches storm drains and the Salish Sea. Artist Matt Milligan created the mural filled with whimsical soccer and Sounders FC references surrounded by native Northwest plants and the Puget Sound.

Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta commented, "Soccer is a world sport with great role models for all our kids....and the Rave Foundation is excellent for helping our communities in need build opportunities for our youth to engage positively with each other. So many contributors to this new play space live right here in Burien, including some of the volunteers from Delta. Burien is an airport city, and it is great Delta is here to give back to us."

Former Sounder Brad Evans was on hand to emcee and describe how quickly the entire space came together.

Three Seahurst scholars shared their thoughts on the new space, with focuses on how it helps the environment, encourages them to play for exercise, and has plenty of space to sit and make new friends. 

Two other mini-pitches exist nearby, one at Valley Ridge and the other at Valleyview. The pitches are not rentable, as they are designed to be free for the community to always have a place to play.