Operation Pitch Invasion is pleased to announce that its Project Blacktop initiative has resulted in four new futsal (schoolyard soccer) courts in Portland-area schools.
The new courts are at Kelly School in SE Portland, Robert Gray School in SW Portland, Woodlawn School in NE Portland, and Beaver Acres School in Beaverton. In each, an existing area of blacktop was refreshed, lined for soccer, and supplied with goal frames, putting soccer on a par with basketball, kickball, and foursquare as an outlet for recess and after-school play.
“We believe that futsal is the future of American soccer,” says OPI board member Shawn Levy, “and we're proud to provide courts where kids can learn and play the game. We were founded by Portland soccer fans to build, restore, and maintain soccer surfaces in parks and schoolyards, and we plan to keep Project Blacktop going every year for the foreseeable future.”
Project Blacktop is undertaken with the cooperation of Portland Public Schools and the Beaverton School District. Financial support is provided by the 107 Independent Supporters Trust and the Portland Youth Soccer Association.
The four new courts join five Project Blacktop surfaces built previously by OPI at Arleta, Astor, and Lent schools in Portland, Barnes school in Beaverton, and Col. Summers Park in Portland.