PHOTO | ASHLEY MAHONEY

Charlotte FC dedicated a mini-pitch Wednesday at the Apartments at Sailboat Bay on Albemarle Road.

Pitches for Progress is where soccer and mentoring meet.

Charlotte FC launched the initiative with the dedication of a 110-foot by 90-foot turf pitch at the Apartments at Sailboat Bay on Albemarle Road. Street Soccer 658 will use the field for their programing.

“It is an amazing opportunity for us to expand our reach,” Street Soccer 658 program director Peter Fink said. “We will be offering free programing year round for all the kids in this neighborhood and all the kids in the surrounding neighborhoods.”

For Street Soccer 658 mentor Hari Darjee, the addition of the new pitch was needed. They previously used the parking lot behind the new field, which houses a worn mini-pitch and doesn’t replicate grass.

“This is kind of what we needed, honestly,” Darjee said. “We used to use the parking lot over there, and we had our little court there. This right here just gives us another place to come and just meet. We’re so grateful for this and the people who made it happen.”

For high school juniors Daru Gilbert, who attends Garinger, and Jesus Morales, who attends Berry Academy, the game was in the streets before Street Soccer 658.

“We started playing in the streets and 658 came and brought the court,” Gilbert said. “That’s how we started and it stuck.”

Dustin Swinehart, director of community engagement for Charlotte FC, said the program is more than placing fields in neighborhoods. It is about creating a safe space for children to play, for coaches to provide a positive impact on youth in neighborhoods while advancing the game and developing young people as players and individuals.

Charlotte FC President Nick Kell said they intend to launch three more mini-pitches in Charlotte this summer, with a five-year timeline for the entire project. Mini-pitches will be placed across the Carolinas. Charlotte’s additional three will be located in University City and South Charlotte. Street Soccer 658, the Charlotte partner, provides after school programing and mentoring. Three events will take place at the new field this summer: Supporters Belt, High School Challenge July 24 and Queens Cup on Aug. 7. Each event highlights sport for social change.

“The biggest step for us right now is programing these types of facilities,” Kelly said. “We already have three more picked out across Charlotte and then expanding. We have been fortunate enough to partner with someone like Project 658 to actually come out here and have three events over the course of this summer to make sure we are utilizing these fields to the utmost. The other part is we are trying to find the right communities who will program these. We don’t want to just drop a field in the middle of a neighborhood and not have it programed.”

The playing surface consists of FieldTurf, which is what Bank of America Stadium is transitioning to. The space also includes a kick wall.

“This is the exact same type of field that we’re going to have at Bank of America Stadium,” Kelly said. “They’re getting the best of the best. That’s the big piece — we want to be able to take a piece of the field our pros are going to play on and put it in this community.”

Kelly said they also intend to host camps with members of the first team in locations like the Apartments at Sailboat Bay. He said the MLS season, which runs through late fall, gives Charlotte FC an opportunity to get into the community because players will be in town for so long.

“If we held it at Bank of America Stadium, I don’t know if half of these kids would be able to get there, because their parents work,” Kelly said. “We’ll be in the community doing these types of camps and clinics.”

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