State Investment Will Upgrade Glen Cove’s Only Public Soccer Field Creating a Lasting Community Asset for Families
Builds on the Success of New York’s Historic World Cup Matches and Celebrations Across the State
Governor Kathy Hochul announced $1 million in state funding for the City of Glen Cove to improve Pascucci Soccer Field, the City's only public soccer field. The investment will help ensure that Glen Cove families, young athletes and community organizations have access to a safe, welcoming and high quality facility for years to come. The funding builds on Governor Hochul’s commitment to turn the excitement and statewide success of New York’s co-hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup into a lasting legacy for communities across the state. From free family-friendly World Cup celebrations on Long Island, including the State's public watch experience at Stony Brook University to investments in fields, equipment and youth programming through the governor's $6 million NYKicks program, the state is ensuring that more New Yorkers can participate in the world's game.
“Soccer brings people together across generations and neighborhoods, and every young person deserves a safe place to play,” Governor Hochul said. “Pascucci Soccer Field has long been a gathering place for Glen Cove residents, and my $1 million in support will help preserve and improve the city's only public soccer field for the families who rely on it. After a historic World Cup that brought the world to New York and inspired fans across our state, we are making sure that its legacy lives on in communities like Glen Cove.”
Pascucci Soccer Field has served Glen Cove residents for generations, and it is an important recreational resource for the city's families, young people and soccer enthusiasts. The field is particularly meaningful to Glen Cove's diverse community, including its long-standing Italian-American community and its growing, vibrant, Hispanic community, where soccer is a shared passion and a powerful connection across cultures.
The state funding will support improvements that help ensure Pascucci Soccer Field remains a dependable public space for organized leagues, informal play, youth activities and community gatherings. The Governor’s investment recognizes the field's importance as Glen Cove’s only public soccer facility and advances the Governor's broader commitment to expanding access to safe outdoor recreation through her Unplug and Play initiative.
Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced the launch of NY Kicks: A World Cup Legacy Investment Fund through the 2026 Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) Initiative, aimed at building soccer fields in disadvantaged communities across each region of the state to strengthen neighborhoods and bring people together through a shared love of the game. First proposed in the Governor's 2026 State of the State and included in the FY27 Enacted Budget, the $5 million NY Kicks program will provide capital grants to support the creation, expansion and enhancement of community soccer fields for youth and players of all ages, capitalizing on the momentum of the World Cup 2026. The FY27 Budget also includes $1 million in additional funding that will be administered by the State Office of Children and Family Services for a companion grant program for NY Kicks recipients to fund programming, equipment, training, and other operating costs that maximize use of these new facilities including uniforms, shin guards, soccer balls and coaches.
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