A brand new mini soccer pitch is open at Spokane’s Grant Park. It's one way that soccer fever is ramping up in anticipation of the World Cup coming to North America in 2026.
The new pitch is thanks to a unique partnership between the Spokane Parks Department and nonprofit Hope Soccer 2026.
When Spokane pastor and Hope Soccer founder Gabriel Mwamba saw that tennis courts at Grant Park were cracked and almost unusable, he also saw an opportunity.
If he raised the money to turn a broken court into a mini soccer pitch, would the Parks Department let him use it for free soccer and mental health coaching?
The answer from Garrett Jones and the rest of the parks board was a resounding yes.
“This is taking a space that was underutilized, that wasn't used, and now we're able to activate this for positive use," Jones said. "This is just an example of more to come, especially with the levy passing, that we're going to have this type of investment and it’s going to be partnerships after partnerships that have that value of giving back to the community.”
Mwamba got donations from ICCU and Musco Lighting to create the pitch, which meant improvements to the park were totally free to the city.
The broken asphalt is now covered with an all-weather sport tile that snaps together like a Lego set. The harder surface and smaller size make this pitch more like the futsal courts that are popular internationally.
City of Spokane planning and development manager Nick Hamad said it's a temporary improvement until the Parks Department renovates all its parks. If the mini pitch is popular, it could be made permanent in the future.
The ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday was rainy but enthusiastic, complete with a performance of the American national anthem. The mini pitch is now open and free for everyone to use.
"We are going to have coaches here that will create that environment for the kids to feel at peace," Mwamba said. "So there are three things that we focus on as Hope Soccer. Kids that are struggling with mental health issues, kids that want just to have fun, [and] kids that want to meet friends."
Any time it's not being used for Hope Soccer 2026 programming specifically, it's open to the public. Mwamba is especially eager for kids from the nearby Grant Elementary, one of the most disadvantaged schools in Spokane, to play pick up games after school.
"Our kids are so much attached to phones," he said. "That is not safe. It's not safe."
Mwamba hopes to build a few more mini pitches around the city. He has plenty of experience building grassroot soccer legacy programs in World Cup host countries across the world.
"I've done projects with World Cup in Germany in 2006, in South Africa in 2010," Mwamba said. "Next year, like in May, you'll start seeing a lot of things changing here. You see a lot of international media. They focus on the stadium. But we will do projects focusing on the community. We want to use that platform of the World Cup to bring the community together."
