Freedom to Play: Soccer Fields Bring Lots of Benefits, By Susan True

COMMUNITY NEWS Freedom to Play: Soccer Fields Bring Lots of Benefits

By Susan True

For so many children, joy is the freedom to play, and run, and jump safely outside. It’s the triumph of success and a deep determination to keep getting better. It’s community and mentorship and friendship.

The Pájaro Valley Sports Foundation had a vision of hundreds of Watsonville families gaining the opportunity to experience joy on new soccer fields at Freedom Elementary School. We were delighted to host the campaign fund and contribute a $50,000 grant. The goal is very close to being met but you still have time to help.

An enormous thanks to many of you: Driscoll’s Inc., the J Miles and Rosann Reiter Family Foundation, Watsonville Rotary, and many more. Construction should be finished just in time for the fall sports season and the start of school.

Safe Spaces

The field, which will be used by the school’s students during school hours, will serve as the “home field” for the 800 members of PV United Soccer through a joint use and lease agreement with the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.

“The location here is key,” says Gina Castañeda, a Santa Cruz County probation officer, PV United Soccer coach and trustee, and executive committee member of the Pajaro Valley Sports Foundation, and the founder of the Aztecas Youth Soccer Academy. “Between Freedom Elementary School and Rolling Hills Middle School, there is no space to go outside to play and there is a lot of gang recruitment and activity.”

This lack of access to physical activity exacerbates health problems like obesity and diabetes that local kids are facing. In Watsonville, roughly half of children are overweight or obese compared to 31% in Santa Cruz and 38% statewide.

Right now, she explains, due to lack of current field availability, local soccer organizations have to cap their registration resulting in hundreds of children losing the opportunity to play and a necessary rationing of practices and games.

“Soccer is everything,” says Gina. “As part of a team, the kids have access to coaches who become mentors and another safe adult in their life. They learn about nutrition and behaviors that are healthy on and off the field.

“Freedom to Play” page 19

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