Two new community soccer fields open in South Boston ahead of World Cup

A new pair of soccer fields have opened in South Boston as part of a community investment project with the World Cup's arrival racing toward the city. 

The non-profit Street Soccer USA is installing public soccer fields in every World Cup host city in America. Boston decided to turn an "underutilized" parking lot at the Housing Authority's West Broadway community into the site for the new investment. 

"The field is really nice, I like the quality," said 12-year-old Kemily, who was among the first to use the fields. "It feels like really professional."

The two Mini Pitch fields are a permanent addition to the neighborhood and will provide programing designed for the roughly 500 children who live in the area.

"There is already so much strength in the communities we get involved with," said Street Soccer USA's Lawrence Cann at a ribbon cutting for the fields in South Boston on Wednesday. "The programs will be free to the kids and their families, and this space will not be for outside groups it will be for this community to use."

Brittney Gordon lives in the neighborhood and brought her kids out to the opening of the fields. One of them plays for a team who will utilize them.

"It keeps the kids busy," said Gordon. "It gives them something to do, structure, instead of just roaming around with nothing because they don't have much around here. The kids are psyched to play on it, so I just hope it's open freely, always."