There are stories that simply talk about sports. And then there are others that, through sports, tell a different story about cities, childhood, and community. What is happening in New York with the “Soccer Streets” project probably belongs to the second category.
The administration led by Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced an initiative that will bring soccer to 50 school streets across the city’s five boroughs, transforming areas normally occupied by traffic into spaces dedicated to play, connection, and collective participation. Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the streets outside schools will be closed to cars and opened to children: improvised mini pitches, pickup games, drills, creative workshops, involved families, and neighborhoods that, for a few hours, will completely change their atmosphere. It is a decision that stands out above all for the cultural message behind it.
The Mayor’s Words
After taking part in the activities organized outside the school, the mayor spoke to reporters: “You know, I think sometimes people think about the World Cup only in the context of the games that we’re going to be hosting here in New York and New Jersey. But the truth is that there’s an energy, a magic around the city when a tournament like this arrives. And we want children across the city to experience that magic directly in their own schools. These 50 public schools where we’re bringing Soccer Streets are among those least likely to have access to a park or any outdoor space. And now the street outside the school will become a place they can truly enjoy. They can learn the game, discover murals, and understand what it means to be part of something bigger than themselves. What you saw, while I was trying to catch my breath, were children playing together. And that’s what we want this moment to be: not just a period when people turn on the television to watch matches, but an opportunity for young people to imagine themselves, one day, out there on that field decades from now.
This is one of many schools where we want to transform the street around the building. We already have the Department of Transportation’s Open Streets program, and this initiative builds directly on the success of that project.”
“Open Streets” is a New York initiative that temporarily closes selected streets to car traffic, transforming them into safe pedestrian areas, green spaces, and places for community gathering.
Fewer and Fewer Spaces for Sports
In recent years, almost everywhere, soccer has gradually lost its connection with the street. Not only in a romantic sense, but in a practical one too. Fewer open spaces, more regulated areas, and increasing difficulty for children to experience sports spontaneously. And yet, for entire generations, the neighborhood itself was the very first soccer field. It was a kind of soccer that taught children how to share spaces, organize themselves, and respect rules created in the moment. Above all, it taught them how to be together. That is why initiatives like “Soccer Streets” deserve attention. Because they do not feel like a simple attempt to promote a major sporting event. Instead, they seem to be trying to bring soccer back among ordinary people, into neighborhoods, and into the daily lives of children.
The issue also closely concerns our own cities. In many Italian neighborhoods, spaces for spontaneous play have gradually disappeared over time. Sometimes for safety reasons, sometimes because of urban planning decisions, and sometimes simply because the way people use public spaces has changed. The result, however, is that for many children today, sports are experienced almost exclusively through organized and structured activities. Of course, there is nothing wrong with soccer academies, sports centers, or scheduled activities. They remain important and valuable realities. But perhaps, alongside all of this, it is still worth defending the idea of a more accessible, everyday, and free form of sport.
In the initiative’s official statement, New York Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn also pointed out that, for many schools, the street outside the building effectively represents the only real open space available for children.