COLUMBUS – The Columbus Crew today celebrated their seventh mini-pitch installation in the past seven years during a dedication ceremony and year-end youth soccer tournament at North Linden Elementary School, in partnership with Nationwide, Lower.com, the U.S. Soccer Foundation and Columbus City Schools. The project is part of the Club’s ongoing efforts to advance education and youth soccer in Columbus.
In addition to the latest North Linden Elementary mini-pitch, the Black & Gold will open their mini-pitch at Minford Local School District on Thursday, May 15. Students from the elementary school and the high school will take the ceremonial first kick together. The newly installed mini-pitch will serve as the first of its kind in Appalachia.
Prior to the ceremonial first kick and the North Linden’s year-end youth soccer tournament on the mini-pitch, Haslam Sports Group Chief of Strategy and Development and Crew President of Business Operations Josh Glessing, Nationwide Associate Vice President of Sports Marketing Jim McCoy, Lower.com CEO Dan Snyder and U.S. Soccer Foundation representatives emphasized the importance of school attendance, decreasing chronic absenteeism and engaging students, the mission of the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network. Following the ceremony, the students participated in North Linden’s annual year-end youth soccer tournament. Columbus Crew goalkeeper Stanislav Lapkes was at the championship match to cheer on the student players and award the winning team its trophy. Students also received tickets to the Black & Gold’s upcoming Hell is Real Derby vs. FC Cincinnati.
“The Crew are dedicated to advancing youth soccer and education in Columbus and these eight mini-pitch installations in the past seven years shows the impact of our vision,” said Josh Glessing, Haslam Sports Group Chief of Strategy and Development and Crew President of Business Operations. “These mini-pitches give students easy access to enjoy the beautiful game and help them develop to reach their full potential.”
“As a proud partner of the Columbus Crew since 2020, Nationwide has long supported initiatives to bring soccer into schools,” said Jim McCoy, associate vice president of sports marketing for Nationwide. “It’s great to see North Linden be the latest beneficiary of a mini-pitch to engage students and the community with the game.”
“At Lower, we believe that strong communities start with opportunity and that begins with education, access, and support,” said Dan Snyder, CEO of Lower. “We’re proud to partner with the Crew, Nationwide, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation to bring this mini-pitch to North Linden Elementary. It’s more than just a place to play, it’s a space that inspires teamwork, resilience, and joy for the next generation of Columbus students.”
As part of the Crew’s year-round efforts to grow participation in and a love of the beautiful game, as well as education, the Club’s mini-pitch initiative, supported by Lower.com, Nationwide and U.S. Soccer Foundation, now encompasses eight locations. The Crew previously installed mini-pitches in Greater Columbus at Northgate Intermediate Schools, Blackburn Community Center, Sullivant Gardens Community Center, Eakin Elementary School, Scottwood Elementary School and Columbus City Preparatory School for Girls.
Last week, the Columbus Crew announced the launch of the Soccer in Schools Program, in partnership with Nationwide and Lower.com. The Crew’s Soccer in Schools Program is focused on providing a turnkey youth soccer model for physical education teachers that aims to prioritize soccer as an in-school physical activity.
The Stay in the Game! Attendance Network’s mission is focused on promoting school attendance and student engagement with its partner districts in the state. As of July 1, SITG! has partnered with Columbus-based Battelle to serve as its fiscal agent and point of contact, coordinating and facilitating activities and initiatives with partner school district sports teams. SITG! has grown from 13 districts at its start during the 2019-2020 school year to now 161 districts and more than 494,000 students across Ohio for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Through the Stay in the Game! initiative, the Columbus Crew reach over 158,000 students annually across 36 school districts in Central Ohio. Chronic absenteeism decreased by 7% from the 2022-23 school year to the 2023-24 school year across Crew school districts, outperforming the state average of 3.4%. Notably, districts in the network have seen a year-over-year decrease in chronic absenteeism of up to 10.3%, highlighting the program's significant positive impact. To learn more visit, visit StayinTheGame.org.
Columbus Crew Mini-Pitch Openings Since 2019
- Eakin Elementary School
- Blackburn Community Center
- Sullivant Gardens Community Center
- Northgate Intermediate Schools
- Scottwood Elementary School
- Columbus City Preparatory School For Girls
- North Linden Elementary School**
- Minford Local School District**
\* opened in 2025*
