A cracked, deteriorated court at Ormsby Park in Pittsburgh's South Side Flats is being torn out to make way for a new soccer mini-pitch, with crews from the city's Department of Public Works already clearing the site for neighborhood residents. The project is being funded through donations from the U.S. Soccer Foundation and FWC26Philly, according to a Friday announcement from the City of Pittsburgh.
The city shared the news in a post on X, writing that public works crews have been removing the old, worn court and getting the site ready for South Side residents to play on and enjoy, with a special thank-you extended to the City of Pittsburgh
for the donation from the U.S. Soccer Foundation and FWC26Philly. The new pitch is funded through the “26 for 26” legacy initiative, a $2 million campaign led by Philadelphia Soccer 2026 and the U.S. Soccer Foundation aimed at launching 26 soccer projects across Pennsylvania ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to
Philadelphia Soccer 2026
. While Philadelphia is the official Pennsylvania host city, the $2 million is being distributed statewide, and Ormsby Park is another Pittsburgh project under the program.
Pittsburgh Mini-Pitches Under the Program
Pittsburgh received a “26 for 26” mini-pitch in May, when city officials and Pittsburgh Public Schools unveiled a hard-court soccer facility at Pittsburgh Sunnyside PreK-8 in Stanton Heights, according to WPXI. The Ormsby project brings another program mini-pitch to a Pittsburgh park.
Ormsby Park sits between 22nd Street and the Birmingham Bridge and already houses an outdoor recreation center, a swimming pool, a playground, a basketball court, a dek hockey court, and a baseball field, per the City of Pittsburgh. The park and its recreation center date back to 1939, built on land named after John Ormsby, an Irish immigrant and British soldier who was granted the entire South Side neighborhood and more, according to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.
What the New Court Will Look Like
The turnkey mini-pitch systems used in the program, produced by equipment partner Musco Lighting, feature modular hard-court surfaces with integrated LED lighting, ADA-compliant gates, chain-link fencing, built-in goals, and storage, according to Musco Sports Lighting. The added lighting means the South Side court could see evening play once the installation is complete, though the city has not announced a completion date.
The U.S. Soccer Foundation has celebrated the opening of its 700th mini-pitch, and its first mini-pitch was installed in 2015; the foundation has a goal of 1,000 completed pitches by the 2026 World Cup, per SoccerWire. A national survey released by the foundation found that 99% of surveyed communities reported increased physical activity and 98% reported improved perceptions of community safety after a mini-pitch was installed, the outlet's report noted.
A Long-Term Fund for Youth Soccer
Beyond the physical courts, the “26 for 26” campaign also includes a legacy endowment, according to Philadelphia Soccer 2026.
Ormsby Park has seen other grassroots investment in recent years as well. Local volunteers and the South Side Community Council established the Ormsby Children's Community Garden at the park in 2021 to give kids in the recreation center's summer camps and after-school programs a place for educational agriculture activities, according to the South Side Community Council.
For now, the work at Ormsby Park is focused on demolition and site prep. The Department of Public Works is handling removal of the old court, while the mini-pitch is receiving donations from the U.S. Soccer Foundation and FWC26Philly tied to the World Cup legacy program.
