Soccer mini-pitch being constructed at Maytag Park

For the past few months, the soccer mini-pitch was nothing but a concrete slab in the middle of Maytag Park. But if visitors pass through the park now they’ll notice the court has been equipped with steel fencing, a base for the lighting fixture and two goals on either side. Heck, it might just be finished when they see it.

Brett Lundberg, the assistant soccer coach for Newton schools and the person who led the charge to get the mini-pitch fundraised, had a front-row seat to the action this past week. He watched from the comfort of a lawn chair as workers from Musco Sports Lighting assembled each piece with precision and speed.

“This is so cool,” Lundberg said. “I’ve been excited for this. We started talking about it years ago after we had seen them in Osky and seen them in Pella and in some other places. Coach (Zach) Jensen and Coach (Steve) Weeks and I talked about how it would be cool to get one in Newton.”

Altogether, the mini-pitch cost around $150,000 to construct. Lundberg partnered with the Des Moines-based nonprofit Kick It Forward, which finds innovative ways to eliminate financial barriers for youth to advance through soccer. The mini-pitch is a futsal-style soccer field designed to provide a safe place to play.

In May, the Newton City Council approved the installation of a concrete pad that would serve as the base for the facility. By then Lundberg had raised more than $130,000 from community donors. Many of them will be featured on sponsor signs that will be installed on the mini-pitch itself.

Those sponsored donors include:

• Clemon-Maki Insurance

• Culver’s

• Brett and Amy Doerring

• Eye Care Center of Newton

• Forbes Office Solutions

• Gregg Young

• Kick It Forward

• Brendan and Abby Lamont

• Magnum Automotive

• Monsignor McCann Community Fund

• Thombert Inc.

• Van Maanen Electric, Inc.

• Variety the Children’s Charity of Iowa

• Walmart

The center of the court will feature the Get to Know Newton logo. Several other high donation sponsors will have their logos on the mini-pitch field, including:

• Delta Dental

• First Newton National Bank (FNNB)

• Iowa Speedway

• Wallace Family Funeral Home

Lundberg is grateful for the support from community donors who pushed the project through to its fundraising goal so quickly. In less than a year, Lundberg introduced the project to the park board, got city council’s blessing, secured a location and a concrete pad and then got enough funding to construct it.

“Even the Kick It Forward guys were talking about how quickly it moved forward with the fundraising and stuff,” Lundberg said. “So that’s definitely a testament to the people of Newton for ponying up … I think people thought the project was cool and new and exciting. They’re willing to invest in their community.”

Contractors expect the mini-pitch to be ready to play by the end of the week.

Which is great news for the growing soccer community in Newton. Lundberg said between the successes the Cardinals soccer team saw in 2018 and 2022 and the attention the sport is receiving with the FIFA World Cup being hosted in the United States in 2026, the sport is seeing strong growth in the area.

“It’s cool to see the growth. It’s cool to be a part of the growth. And I think that you’ll continue to see it grow,” he said. “It is the most popular sport in the world.”

The mini-pitch at Maytag Park helps build upon that popularity and gives players of all skill levels a place they can call home.

“Hopefully you’ll start to see kids using it more when there is a family reunion at one of the shelter houses,” Lundberg said. “This just gives them a different place to play and makes it easier for a kid to play on their own because they can kick the ball into the net right there. It’s designed for that. It’s what we’re shooting for.”