The NYCHA Journal

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Connected Communities Program Partners Top Story 

Retractable Soccer Goal Posts Create Multi-Sport Arena for Rutgers Houses

Nii Akrofi Smart-Abbey

Ever wondered if you could get more out of your neighborhood basketball court? For the Rutgers Houses community, the answer is clear: Their basketball court is now a multi-sport arena.  

Thanks to a partnership between NYCHA and the nonprofit, Over Under Initiative (OUI), Rutgers Houses has become the second NYCHA development to have the innovative retractable soccer goal posts installed in their basketball court.   

A retractable goal post at Rutgers Houses tucked away after use

The lightweight netted goal posts rise from the ground and can be easily set up for a game of soccer or street hockey. Local non-profit Two Bridges FC contributed to the funding of the project and will be leading free community programming for Rutgers Houses residents at the multi-sport arena.  

The initiative is part of NYCHA’s Connected Communities program, which works with partners to activate open spaces in NYCHA developments and enhances residents’ physical and social connections to their communities and resources. NYCHA and OUI coordinated with the resident association president as well as the development’s operations staff throughout the planning and construction phases of the project and will continue to do so as programming kicks off.   

OUI installed its first retractable goal posts in New York City at Butler Houses in the Bronx in December 2021. At the time, Kyle Martino, founder of Over Under Initiative, said the idea of converting a basketball court into a multi-sport space was to give area youth more options and empower them to choose which sport they want to play.  

Since its installation at Butler Houses, the project has received positive feedback from both residents and the development’s management team. The project caught the attention of the New York City Parks Department, which is currently planning a partnership with OUI for a similar project in a city park.   

New York City Park officials inspect a retractable goal post installed at Butler Houses

OUI is committed to improving the health and wellness of children by increasing access to sport in urban neighborhoods; the organization is actively fundraising to expand retractable soccer goal posts to other NYCHA developments.