ESPN & Partners Bring "Built to Play" To San Juan, Puerto Rico
August 20, 2021
At a special virtual event this past Tuesday, leading sports entertainment brand, ESPN, and partners officially opened a newly transformed multifunctional sports space at the YMCA of San Juan in Puerto Rico. Dedicated to the local community, it is the tenth site in ESPN's global Built to Play project series.
Encompassing a revitalization and beautification of courts located at the YMCA, the space is designed to provide a safe place to play for residents and offer ongoing programming using the power of sports to educate young people on key local and personal development issues. Project partners included the local "G8" community, award-winning sport for development organizations love.fútbol and Coaches Across Continents, the YMCA of San Juan, the Puerto Rico Tennis Association (PRTA) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
Hosted by Marly Rivera, ESPN’s Major League Baseball National Reporter, the event included remarks from: special guest speaker, professional tennis player and Puerto Rican 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist, Monica Puig; Freddy Rolón, Vice President, ESPN Programming and Acquisitions; Rosa María Martínez, Executive Director, USTA Caribbean and the PRTA; Mabel Román Padró, Executive Director, YMCA of San Juan; and, Mano Silva, Chief Operating Officer, love.fútbol.
As part of the celebration was a special Q&A between Olympic champion Puig and two children from the USTA Foundation’s local National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapter. Following this, Puig and Rolón held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the site.
“I have always believed that we do our best work when we can use the power of the ESPN brand to serve as an agent of change and bring positive impact to communities,” said Rolón. “We were pleased to bring ESPN Built to Play to the YMCA of San Juan and to collaborate with love.fútbol, Coaches Across Continents, the local community, the YMCA and the PRTA to provide a space in a community where there is a need and where it can truly make a difference. I know that it will continue to be a focal point for this community for many years to come; a place where kids can play sports, have fun, learn and thrive."
By fostering a more inclusive community and ensuring quality programming, the space will serve as a hub for local youth to play, participate in development programs and grow. The project will engage the G8 community and YMCA members through a variety of sports, including new opportunities to play and learn through tennis and football. The activities will be for different age groups, but will mainly target boys and girls aged 6 to 15-years-old. Parents will alo be a part of the process.
“It is an honor to be part of this great initiative. I want to thank ESPN Built to Play, the YMCA of San Juan, the PRTA, and everyone involved for making a difference not only through the sport of tennis but through sports overall to help improve the health and wellness of our youth. It’s been very special for me to see the growth of interest in tennis in Puerto Rico ever since I won the gold medal, especially among kids," said Puig.
"Sports, in general, are a great resource for kids to learn life skills, stay active and also deal with mental health issues, which are especially timely with the pandemic. Thanks to this project, the kids in the community will have this as a safe haven to go outside, stay active, explore their passions and talents, and simply be kids,” she continued.
Project manager, love.fútbol, led the transformation of the space and programming partner Coaches Across Continents virtually trained local expert coaches, including Fundación Golitos - which runs adapted sports program for children with disabilities - on its customized Purposeful Play curriculum. The programming will be used to facilitate powerful discussions with youth around leadership, mental well-being healthy living, and social inclusion. From August 2021 through August 2022, the coaches will deliver weekly sessions reaching at least 600 young people monthly in full compliance with COVID-19 restrictions.
Beyond Sport's sister company, thinkBeyond, supports ESPN in the delivery of the Built to Play project.