Hickman Mills School District Awarded $200,000 NFL Grassroots Grant

KANSAS CITY, MO (January 25, 2007) – The Hickman Mills School District is about to get a pristine, new artificial playing surface for its students, replacing the existing natural grass field. That’s thanks to an announcement that the District Football Stadium’s renovation project has been awarded $200,000 from the NFL Grassroots Field Grant Program.

This endowment, bestowed by the Kansas City Chiefs, National Football League, NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), marks the seventh metro-area field grant awarded by this program since 1999. A total of $860,000 has been allocated for field refurbishments thanks to the Chiefs Children’s Fund and the NFL Grassroots program these past nine years. This latest grant is part of $2.4 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year to community groups in 20 cities nationwide.

“The Kansas City Chiefs sincerely believe that youth athletics are essential to the healthy growth and development of children.” Chiefs President Carl Peterson noted. “Youth sports provide future athletes and leaders that enrich both this city and country. This field project will help ensure continued opportunities for these children.”

The NFL Grassroots program is funded by the NFL Youth Football Fund (YFF), a non-profit foundation established by the NFL and the NFLPA to support the game at the youth level and promote positive youth development. Since 1998, the NFL Grassroots program has provided more than $17 million to help community organizations build, or rebuild, 155 youth fields in more than 40 cities, typically in neighborhoods where funding sources are few and far between.

The NFL Grassroots funding will be matched by the Hickman Mills School District.  The renovated stadium will spur increased community use at District Football Stadium. Currently, because of poor field conditions, football games are played at five different locations. To date, multiple youth football and track programs have committed to using the new field upon completion.

“These fields are a critical part of our efforts to create sustainable communities – places where people want to live, work and raise families,” said Julie Porter, Executive Director of Greater Kansas City LISC.  “Through their contributions, the NFL and NFLPA are not only creating places for young people to compete in football and other sports, they’re also making countless neighborhoods better and stronger.”

Gene Upshaw, the NFLPA’s executive director, agrees. “The NFL and the NFLPA are proud to assist communities where young people aspire to play football,” he said. “This program allows us to make an immediate impact in neighborhoods where assistance is most needed.”

The Hickman Mills School District is a suburban area of 32 square miles in southeastern Kansas City, serving a population of roughly 7,100 students in 14 different schools.