OTTUMWA, IA – Indian Hills Community College today announced it has been awarded a $14,927 grant from the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the national model for sports-based youth development programs in underserved communities. This grant is intended to fund the installation of an irrigation system on the practice soccer field on the College’s North Campus. IHCC was one of nine organizations to receive a grant.
“The impact of this grant will be far reaching,” said IHCC Athletic Director Brett Monaghan. “It will have an immediate effect on approximately 75 collegiate soccer players and will enable IHCC to offer further soccer programming for area youth including camps, clinics and tournaments.”
Currently IHCC’s men’s and women’s teams share a competition soccer field and practice area on the main Ottumwa campus. With limited space, the competition soccer field has been in high demand by both teams. The practice soccer field on the North Campus was added several years ago, however, it fell into disuse because of hard ground. By adding irrigation, the North Campus soccer field turf will become healthy again and safe for use by the IHCC soccer teams and others in the community.
“As the facility matures with the use of the irrigation, area soccer clubs, high school programs and the like will have a quality facility to use when necessary,” Monaghan said. “The recent growth of soccer in the Ottumwa area has placed a high demand on the need for quality facilities and this grant will allow us to offer what is needed to impact this growing population.”
This grant was awarded as part of the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Safe Places to Play program. Across the country, children in underserved communities face an acute shortage of safe places to play largely because there isn’t enough space in which to create them or funding to maintain them. Safe Places to Play gives kids safe and accessible areas to play by funding the costs of design, construction, surfacing and enhancement in these communities.
“The U.S. Soccer Foundation is excited to support these grant recipients in their continued efforts to leverage the game of soccer for social change and create equal access to safe places to play for all communities,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “These grants will help introduce youth to the game of soccer and promote a culture of health in communities across the country.”
Since its inception in 1994, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has awarded more than $100 million in grants to non-profit organizations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Support for the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s grant process is provided by the Foundation’s corporate partners, including AstroTurf, Hunter Industries, Kwik Goal, Musco Sports Lighting, Soccer.com, Sport Court.
About the U.S. Soccer Foundation
The U.S. Soccer Foundation’s programs are the national model for sports-based youth development in underserved communities. Since its founding in 1994, the Foundation has established programs proven to help children embrace an active and healthy lifestyle while nurturing their personal growth beyond sports. Its cost-effective, high-impact initiatives offer safe environments where kids and communities thrive. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Soccer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, visit www.ussoccerfoundation.org or follow us on Twitter at @ussoccerfndn and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ussoccerfoundation.
