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NFL, NFLPA & Green Bay Packers Commit $125,000 To Upgrade Community Football Fields In Milwaukee & Green Bay
posted 01/11/2006
Awards are part of $2.5 million in new grants to athletic fields nationwide
Community football fields in Milwaukee and Green Bay will be upgraded, thanks in part to $125,000 in grants from the National Football League's Grassroots program, it was announced today. The grants, awarded this year by the Green Bay Packers, National Football League, NFL Players Association (NFLPA), and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), are part of $2.5 million in field refurbishment awards allocated to community groups in 19 cities nationwide.
The community football field at Milwaukee's Custer High School will receive a $100,000 grant to build a concession stand, resurface the natural turf field, and install bleachers, goal posts, a scoreboard, and team benches. M&I Bank also will assist in funding the improvements at Custer Community Field, matching the Grassroots grant with $135,000.
The Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay will combine the $25,000 Grassroots grant with a matching donation from AMS (American Medical Security) from PacificCare to upgrade its Sam Miller Athletic Field (adjacent to the Lutsey Club on University Avenue). The Boys & Girls Club has been offering programs to Green Bay young people and families for more than 35 years. The organization has two clubhouses and serves 10 schools with a total membership that exceeds 7,500 youth and continues to grow.
Sam Miller Field sits near several Green Bay downtown and east side neighborhoods that are characterized by marginal housing stock, low-income residents and mature business and industrial sectors. The grant will help pay for field grading and resurfacing, tree plantings, electrical system upgrading and a new scoreboard installation. The improved field will be a site for flag football, Punt, Pass and Kick tournaments, health fairs, soccer leagues and other after school programming.
"We're thrilled to award these grants to two very important recipients," said Packers Executive Vice President/COO John Jones. "The fields are integral components of our communities, giving our young people a safe place to learn and stay active. We're proud to contribute to the excitement and enjoyment that is shared by the young athletes, their families and communities."
"These field improvements in Green Bay and Milwaukee are tangible signs of our Youth Football Fund in action," said NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. "The Youth Football Fund supports all aspects of youth football, from participation to coaching to improving the availability of playing fields."
The NFL Grassroots program is funded by the NFL Youth Football Fund (YFF), a $150 million non-profit foundation established by the NFL and the NFLPA to support youth football. Since 1998, the NFL Grassroots program has provided more than $15.2 million to help community organizations build, or rebuild, 135 youth fields in more than 40 cities, typically in neighborhoods where funding sources are few and far between.
"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."
Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA's executive director, agrees. "The NFL and the NFLPA are proud to assist communities where young people aspire to play football," he said. "This program allows us to make an immediate impact in neighborhoods where assistance is most needed."
Other communities receiving NFL Grassroots awards during this funding round are: Atlanta; Baltimore; Beaver Falls, PA; Cincinnati; Colorado Springs; Covington, KY; Detroit; WI; Honolulu; Indianapolis; Kansas City, KS.; Los Angeles; Miami; Minneapolis; New Orleans; Philadelphia; San Diego; and Winston-Salem, NC.
About The NFL Youth Football Fund
Established in 1998 by the NFL in collaboration with the NFL Players Association, the NFL Youth Football Fund promotes positive youth development, while ensuring the health and future of football at the grassroots level. Through $150 million in funding by the YFF, many NFL youth programs such as NFLHS.com and Coach of the Week have been developed, providing youngsters with opportunities to learn the game of football, get physically fit and stay involved in productive after-school activities with adult mentors.
Innovative and effective youth football programs have resulted from teaming with organizations like LISC on the NFL Grassroots program. The league's National Youth Football Partners also include the Amateur Athletic Union, American Youth Football, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Jewish Community Centers Association, National Police Athletic League, National Recreation & Park Association, Pop Warner Little Scholars and YMCA of the USA.
About LISC
LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help nonprofit community development corporations revitalize underserved neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has raised more than $6 billion to build or rehab nearly 160,000 affordable homes and develop 25 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide. For more information, visit www.lisc.org. |
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