David Beckham is back. The LA Galaxy midfielder landed in Los Angeles late Friday evening and was on hand in El Segundo, Calif. on Saturday afternoon to help MLS Commissioner Don Garber kick off the start of the league's Footprint Fields Community Program.
Beckham was joined by former Real Madrid teammate and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, Commissioner Garber and adidas America President Patrik Nilsson to help celebrate the start of the program.
"I'm really excited to be back, and it's a pleasure for [Zinedine and I] to be here" said Beckham. "Facilities like this give kids a chance to have a safe place to play and will help to grow the game in this country."
Beckham and Zidane celebrated the new program by making footprints in slabs of concrete, which will become part of the new fields. They also took time to play in a small-sided scrimmage with local athletes, meet young fans, and field questions from the media.
"It's nice to see the U.S. taking a bigger role in soccer," said Zidane. "It was good to see the national team do so well in the FIFA Confenderations Cup and to beat the Spanish. It proves that soccer in the U.S. is rising to another level. It's also great to see adidas take such a large role in helping to grow the sport of soccer in the United States."
The Footprint Fields Community Program is a collaborative effort by MLS W.O.R.K.S., FieldTurf and adidas to build top-notch facilities in communities all over the country that might not have access to quality soccer fields.
"So many kids take for granted that they have a place to play the beautiful game," said Commissioner Garber. "But in many places across the country, kids don't have that opportunity. This program is our effort to build soccer fields in places where kids who are a little more disadvantaged than most can have the opportunity to have a beautiful place to play soccer."
This year, the program will build fields in communities in New York City, Milwaukee, Seattle, Inglewood, Calif. and Vancouver, Wash., and will seek further bids and proposals for more construction in years to come. The fields will all be state-of-the-art FieldTurf, a synthetic surface that is designed to replicate individual blades of natural grass.
"It is no secret that our great game is in dire need of playing fields," said Jim Froslid, director of soccer development for FieldTurf. "We all have a tremendous responsibility to grow the great sport of soccer in the U.S., while doing all we can to ensure that kids in economically challenged areas have access fields."
The program also involves contributions from adidas, who, among other things, will help raise awareness of the game through player appearances with athletes like Beckham and Zidane.
"Adidas was created on the passion of sport," said Nilsson. "We are using that passion for sport to make the world a better place. Together, through our partnership with MLS, we have been able to inspire and enable a soccer nation and that is something we will continue to do through these efforts."
Beckham and Zidane signed autographs and met young local players as the event came to a close, and were enthusiastic about the future of soccer in the United States.
"It's all about growing the game in this country," said Beckham. "Kids can come down to these facilities and enjoy themselves, and that sends American soccer in the right direction."
Jeffrey King is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
