The football field at South San Francisco High School will get a new synthetic surface thanks in part to a $200,000 grant from the National Football League Grassroots Program, it was announced on Friday.
The grant, awarded by the San Francisco 49ers, the NFL Youth Football Fund and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), is part of $2.5 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year. The grant will help pay for a new synthetic turf at South San Francisco High.The NFL Grassroots Program, a partnership between the NFL Youth Football Fund and LISC, the nation's leading community development support corporation, has resulted in the construction or renovation of 243 football fields nationwide in the past 13 years. During that time, the NFL Youth Football Fund has granted more than $30 million to revitalize playing fields in underserved neighborhoods. Fields are newly built or significantly renovated, with improvements such as irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts and turf. Grassroots grants are issued once established funding thresholds are reached for each project.
"We are very excited to partner with the NFL Grassroots Program and LISC to provide a brand new multipurpose sports field to South San Francisco High School," said San Francisco 49ers Owner and Co-Chair John York. "Year-round, the 49ers participate in the NFL "Play 60 Program" which encourages young people to engage in physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. This field provides opportunities for team sports where youth learn the values of teamwork, preparation and healthy competition on the field and can use these lessons in the community."
LISC identifies local, nonprofit, neighborhood-based agencies which have an interest in building or refurbishing football fields in schools and parks in underserved neighborhoods. Through the program, the local agencies are provided with the necessary financing and technical assistance to improve the quality and safety of fields in their neighborhoods. The local agencies oversee the construction, maintenance and programming of the fields.
"These fields are a critical part of our efforts to create sustainable communities – places where people want to live, work and raise families," said Michael Rubinger, LISC's president and CEO. "Through their contributions, the NFL and NFLPA are not only creating places for young people to compete in football and other sports, they're also making countless neighborhoods better and stronger."
About the NFL Youth Football Fund
Established in 1998 by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, the NFL Youth Football Fund seeks to use football as a catalyst to promote positive youth development, support youth and high school football needs nationwide and also ensure the health of grassroots football in future generations. Through the YFF's youth football initiatives and support programs, youngsters are provided with opportunities to learnvthe game of football, get physically fit and stay involved in productive after-school activities with adult mentors
About LISC
LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help nonprofit community development corporations revitalize distressed neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has raised more than $11.1 billion to build or rehab more than 277,000 affordable homes and develop 44 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide. LISC support has leveraged nearly $33.9 billion in total development activity. For more information, visit www.lisc.org.
