Soccer Foundation gives $25,000 to Easton effort

4 years ago

EASTON, Maine — The Town of Easton Light Up Our Field announced it has received a $25,000 grant from the U.S. Soccer Foundation, whose programs serve as the national model for sports-based youth development in underserved communities. 

This grant will fund soccer field lighting. Easton’s “Light Up Our Field” was one of nine organizations to receive grants. 

“This generous grant brings the Light Up Our Field effort to within attainable reach of the monetary goal set to provide lighting at the Easton School soccer field,” said Jim Gardner, Easton town manager. 

“Currently, the teams are restricted to daytime games, making both scheduling and attendance difficult,” Gardner said. “This lighting project will provide a safe place for both the recreation and school teams to practice and play games.”  

This grant was awarded as part of the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Safe Places to Play program. Across the U.S., children living in underserved communities often lack safe places to play in their neighborhoods, either due to absence of space or absence of funding. The Safe Places 10 Play grant program seeks to provide kids with safe and accessible areas to play by funding the costs of design, construction, surfacing, and enhancement in these communities through three grant cycles during the year.