Pro Sports Teams, Companies, and Local Groups Unite for Cincinnati’s Youth

What do athletics mean to the communities where they’re played and to the athletes who play them? At Motz, we’ve seen individuals and communities thrive when athletics are integrated into peoples’ lives. The dignity, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose that come with sportsmanship and team building changes lives and improves the mental and physical health of all who get involved. 

Our team strives to do more than create and maintain incredible athletic facilities; we hope to create opportunities and growth for youth through athletics. Throughout our decades of operating, we’ve built lasting relationships with local community partner organizations such as the FC Cincinnati Foundation, the Reds Community Fund, the Bengals Foundation, Activities Beyond The Classroom, and so many more. Not every city is as fortunate as Cincinnati to have as many professional athletic teams so deeply committed to the wellbeing and success of our community. But that’s precisely the case in The Queen City, where athletics live at the core of who we are as a city, bringing us all closer together.

Creating a positive impact on Cincinnati communities

The partner initiatives we’re about to highlight center on the creation of accessible, high-quality sports fields. These fields bring so much more to neighborhoods than well-installed artificial turf; they offer hope and joy to the people who live near them and bring athletics to places that may have never had a field of their own. These fields are beacons of inspiration for entire communities and safe places for kids to play and be active. Some of these fields have been years in the making, as funding is made possible through community partnerships. 

At Motz, our mission is moving people to better lives, and our partnerships with amazing Cincinnati organizations are helping us to do just that! Motz has installed multiple fields around the Greater Cincinnati area funded by local groups with grants and donations. Motz is humbled by the opportunities to make positive changes and to help to grow a love of sports in neighborhoods throughout our city. 

The North Avondale Mini-Pitch

This mini-pitch is the third completed field of ten that will be installed by 2024 throughout the city. Motz is working with FC Cincinnati Foundation to install them. Designed as safe and exciting play spaces for kids and to encourage physical activity, the mini-pitches optimize land in urban areas that are too small for full-sized fields. Mini pitches like the one completed in North Avondale give local children exposure and access to soccer. It expands the love of the sport and becomes a setting for kids to learn leadership skills and express themselves through athletics. 

In a recently published feature in the Cincinnati Enquirer about the North Avondale Mini-Pitch, North Avondale Neighborhood Association representative Jeff Herr said: “We just think that neighborhood engagement with organizations like the FC Cincinnati Foundation is imperative with our neighborhood and all urban neighborhoods. In addition to our neighborhood winning today with this facility, I think the real winners are these kids.” Take a look at the first two fields developed as part of this project, the West End Mini Pitch and Makino Park Mini Pitch.

South Avondale Elementary School’s Full-Sized Field

The following organizations joined forces to grant Activities Beyond the Classroom and Cincinnati Public schools grants supporting a synthetic turf field installation at South Avondale School. (The Bengals, National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program, FC Cincinnati Foundation, Reds Community Fund, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and UC Health). An estimated 5,000 children will use the facilities annually via recreational 4-17 ages sports languages, team practices, clinics, and games. In an article published to Bengals.com, South Avondale School Principal Michael Allison said of the project: “The neighborhood has a growing youth population, and this new field will allow more community usage. We celebrate this new asset and couldn’t be happier for all the opportunities it represents for the Avondale community.”

The project not only requires a sizable grant but a long-game commitment to the kids in inner-city Cincinnati. The field installation work began in 2017 after Activities Beyond the Classroom, and Cincinnati Public Schools made the case to the professional sports community for the kids in this area to have stellar athletic opportunities and infrastructure. “I’d like to thank everyone for being involved in this project, coming together to build a bridge to offer a better quality field for all of our students to play on, not only here at South Avondale School, but in the entire community. Safe recreation spaces for youth in Avondale is critical,” said Kathy Schwab, Executive Director of LISC, Greater Cincinnati.

The key partners who are making this field a reality include the Cincinnati Bengals, Activities Beyond the Classroom, FC Cincinnati Foundation, Cincinnati Reds Community Fund, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati Public Schools, The Kleingers Group, University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics, and Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. 

Currently, additional projects are in the works at the planning stage, as part of our work with the Reds Community Fund. Look out for exciting updates on the new athletic fields coming soon.   

We are very proud to represent Cincinnati and are honored to work with local organizations rallying together to bring a safe athletic space to all. Stay tuned for more community athletic facilities popping up over the city! 

Learn more about what Motz is doing for our community here.