Where there was once a tennis court, is now a green, black, and white mini-pitch surrounded by metal bars.
Instead of the white net that previously stretched across the tennis court, there are now two goals standing on opposite ends with a mural painted on the court between them. Just in time for soccer season to begin, this mini-pitch hosts 3-vs-3 games between students, teachers, and community members who are also welcome to use it. Two months ago, this was being prepared for the inaugural, and is now available as a way to connect the community through soccer.
On Sep. 29, the Athletic Coordinators and Coach Castellanos (Coach Kat) stood in front of a crowd of students along with representatives and sponsors of the mini-pitch for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The mini-pitch was donated to Akins through the 4ATX Foundation along with a Verde Net as an award to Coach Kat for finishing runner-up in the Austin FC and NetSpend Coach of the Year awards. It is the eighth pitch to be opened in the Austin area through the partnerships of YETI, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and Austin ISD. The mini-pitch is now placed by Old San Antonio Rd, and officially open to the public.
“The mini-pitches are just that, a dedicated space dedicated to free and public use,” 4ATX Program Manager Horacio Perez said. “These mini-pitches are meant to be a place in your neighborhood where you can go, and there’s always a space meant for soccer.”
The 4ATX Foundation has the mission of using soccer to help communities connect and succeed. While hosting other programs such as clinics, the Verde Leaders, and scholarships, their focus has been to promote success through soccer.
“I feel like that’s where 4ATX’s spot is, helping lift up these students hopefully to a pipeline of employment, or soccer, or whatever it takes to continue building healthy communities, socially, emotionally, and physically,” Perez said.
The mini-pitch shared with Akins has helped create a safe environment for students to play and build the community they wanted to achieve.
“The pitch was needed and I love it,” senior Diego Zuniga said. “I’ve used it multiple times with my friends and will continue to do so. Austin FC has definitely invested in the right area and we thank them for that.”
The mini-pitch here at Akins contributes to the 4ATX Foundation’s goals. While they continue to build more pitches across Austin, Akins was the first to receive one with a mural painted onto the court by artist Alie Jackson.
“I hope that we can continue to do them (the murals) because I think it’s a great opportunity to promote the community, and Austin FC, and 4ATX Foundation, and the work that we’re doing in our community,” Perez said.
The 4ATX Foundation, while hoping for more murals in the future, continues to build mini-pitches throughout Austin for those locations that would need them the most. Akins served as a strong location, which is ultimately why it was chosen.
“It’s a highly dense area that aligns with the communities that we traditionally serve, in terms of being predominantly Hispanic and Latino. And also, matching the income kind of that normally falls within our bounds as well,” Perez said. “And so when it kind of aligns like that, it’s kind of like, okay, I think that this is our spot.”
The community has responded well to it, having access here in school, students use it continuously.
“Growing up in South Austin there weren’t a lot of places where we could play pickup soccer that were close to where we live,” Zuniga said. “This pitch has definitely benefited the surrounding community by giving us a place to play and have fun.”
Choosing the location of the mini-pitches is only the first step in their construction. Placing pitches can be a long and extensive process, which can lead to challenges during and after the making of them with questions arising even after the finish.
“I think that we’re working through the kinks of, you know, maintenance and who owns the trash?” Perez said. “And how do we best make sure that we’re not just kind of placing it and then leaving it.”
While questions continue to arise through the construction of these pitches, the solutions are worth finding as it is deemed worthy to continue the use of them.
“I honestly love the mini-pitch,” junior Kim Hernandez said. “I feel like it’s such a great add-in for training and an amazing place for friends to come together and play, I’ve used it any chance I get.”
The time and energy that is placed into these pitches are always rewarded by seeing the students use these pitches as a place to connect and enjoy their love for soccer.
“I hope that these mini-pitches become an extension of that community and giving people a place to connect over their common love for not only Austin FC, or 4ATX Foundation, but the sport of soccer in general,” Perez said.
