This Thursday, September 3, at 10:00 a.m. PT, Seattle Sounders FC’s charitable arm, RAVE Foundation and the Seattle Storm, together with the City of Des Moines, are hosting a virtual grand opening celebration for the newly completed mini pitch and basketball court at Midway Park.
Des Moines Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney will be joined at Midway Park by representatives from Sounders FC and the Storm – including former Sounder Lamar Neagle – where the group will address the Des Moines community via Zoom. Neagle will be joined by a selected few local youth to take part in the ceremonial first goal kick and first basket.
MEDIA NOTE: While the opening event is taking place virtually for members of the Des Moines community, media may RSVP to gather at Midway Park on Thursday to collect b-roll of the ceremonial opening events and speak to project stakeholders from Sounders FC, Seattle Storm and the City of Des Moines. A separate media advisory will be issued with further information.
Announced earlier this summer, the multi-purpose recreation space at Midway Park is a donation to the community from RAVE Foundation and the Storm, with generous support from Symetra Life Insurance Company. Together, the trio collaborated to invest in this new court intended for free play, meaning that the courts are unrentable by groups or teams, ensuring they remain open at all times for the communities they serve. Situated just east of Pac Highway in a green space desert, Midway Park provides a crucial safe place to play for nearby youth. The new dual soccer and basketball court will be free to all who visit and serves to inspire play and community pride. More information can be found at RaveFoundation.org/Midway.
Sounders FC and the Storm are members of the King County Play Equity Coalition, which is aimed at bringing access to sports and recreation regardless of zip code, language or race. The King County Play Equity Coalition was formed in direct response to results of a 2019 study by the University of Washington's Center for Leadership in Athletics, in partnership with King County Parks and The Aspen Institute, which found that less than 19 percent of young people in the region get the amount of physical activity recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Coalition is committed to implement the report's recommendations to remove barriers to physical activity for more kids throughout King County.
Now completed, the court includes specially designed soccer goals and basketball backboards, with artwork that was contributed by students at Midway Elementary as part of a virtual Goals & Hoops For Art event earlier this year. Sounders FC Brand Ambassador and former player Brad Evans and Seattle Storm Associate Head Coach Noelle Quinn joined students as they put imaginations to paper in the art event, led by Midway Elementary Principal Debbie Ellis and Highline Public Schools teacher Marianne Schneeman. The artwork from students was used to add bright and personal touches on Midway Park’s goals and hoop structures at the new court. Youth from the Midway community also participated in a virtual soccer and basketball clinic, hosted by Brad Evans and Seattle Storm’s Sami Whitcomb.
