New soccer pitches open across New York City

A citywide initiative has brought 10 new soccer pitches to New York City.
The two pitches in Brooklyn are located in Brownsville and Bushwick.
The New York City Football Club partnered with the Mayor's Fund to Advance NYC, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Adidas and Etihad Airways for the pitches.
The New York City soccer initiative was launched as part of a public-private partnership in 2016.
The $3 million effort is the first of its kind across the U.S.
The goal of the initiative is to build and maintain 50 soccer pitches in five years.
Members of the initiative say the pitches are a way to utilize underused public space and also encourage young people to be active and healthy.
There will be 20 pitches open by the end of this year.
Other urban areas are said to have used this model since the launch of the initiative.
Children who attended the opening of the new soccer pitch in Brownsville at Riverdale Avenue Community School got to learn about soccer from a professional player.