PITTSBURGH — Kids in the City of Pittsburgh have a new place to play soccer.
CitiParks officials and other community leaders unveiled the new soccer mini-pitch at Ormsby Park in the South Side on Wednesday.
The new space was previously a roller hockey court, which officials said was beginning to deteriorate. Leaders stopped the blight by obtaining a donation from the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Philadelphia Soccer 2026, who partnered with the City on World Cup 2026 programming in Pittsburgh.
“The World Cup was a great opportunity to partner with cities across Pennsylvania to host Fan Zone events that brought youth, families and fans together to celebrate soccer,” said Mayor O’Connor. “We want to continue to create spaces where kids can have fun, develop skills and be part of a team and we appreciate the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Philadelphia Soccer 2026’s shared commitment to our youth.”
A donation of $100,000 was provided to install the pitch and a $52,000 grant from Socer for Success funds youth soccer programming.
“Pittsburgh brought incredible energy to this summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026™ celebrations, and we wanted that excitement to leave something lasting on the South Side,” said Melissa Piccoli, Chief External Affairs Officer, Philadelphia Soccer 2026. “With lights for evening play and Soccer for Success programming through CitiSports, this pitch gives kids a place to learn from coaches, make friends and fall in love with the game for years to come. We’re proud to have brought this pitch to Ormsby Park alongside the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and grateful to Mayor O’Connor and CitiParks for being such committed partners.”
Children broke the pitch in by trying to score a goal against O’Connor, who was playing goalie.
“They didn’t hit me too hard with the ball,” O’Connor said.
In their previous collaboration, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Soccer 2026 organized World Cup watch parties at Acrisure Stadium and worked with the Riverhounds to host free youth soccer clinics.
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