If we think of the World Championships, we clearly think of the stadiums, greedy on the shoulders while the Nationals compete on stage. But the World Championships in the United States (and Mexico, and in Canada, of course) do not pass only from the stadiums, but also from the parks, squares and streets of the city. This is true especially in New York, where the city organized free events in all five boroughs to allow even those who do not have a ticket to participate in the tournament climate. And in fact, right these days, in Central Park a temporary football field has appeared for those who want to live the Worlds without entering a stadium. It is called FIFA Arena Central Park and was installed near Tavern on the Green, in the West 67th Street area. It will remain open until 18 July, the day before the World Championship 2026, which will be played in the New York and New Jersey area, at MetLife Stadium.
The camp is free and works almost always without reservation. Each day there are two usage ranges, from 10 to 14 and from 16 to 20, with sessions open to people of all ages and levels. It is a way to give New Yorkers a place to play, even for little while, while the city hosts a part of the tournament. For many it will also be more accessible than the World Cup, especially considering the cost of tickets and the difficulty of getting to the most requested matches.
FIFA Arena is part of a series of initiatives organized in New York during the tournament. The city has provided watch party, fan zones and free events in all five boroughs, turning parks, squares and public markets into places to follow the matches. In New York football is very practiced in neighborhoods and immigrant communities, although for years it has had less media than baseball, basketball and American football.
In the FIFA Arena calendar there are also more structured appointments. On June 20th there will be a Youth Skills Academy for children and children from 6 to 14 years; on June 27 there will be a Neighborhood Cup, designed as a district tournament; in July there are also events related to women’s football and school. In the days without special initiatives, the field remains above all a space for free play, something less trivial than it seems in a city where to find a field available, central and free is not always easy.
For New York, World Cups are also a way to understand how football has entered the daily life of the city. The most important matches will bring tourists, traffic and extraordinary measures for transport, but in general it seems that the United States has begun to appreciate more this sport than the past: it is evidence that the first game of the U.S. National Team has had more viewers than the final NBA, something unthinkable until a few years ago.
L’articolo A free football field in Central Park proviene da IlNewyorkese.
