Key Takeaways
- The South Bronx site marks the 10th community pitch delivered globally through the EA SPORTS FC and LALIGA FC FUTURES partnership.
- The pitch connects to P.S./M.S. 31 The William Lloyd Garrison School and is built to support more than 500 local students.
- Bronx graffiti artist BG183 (Sotero Ortiz), a founding member of Tats Cru, designed the visual identity around hip-hop and borough life.
- Programming partners include love.fútbol, South Bronx United, and Urban Soccer Park, which provided the small-sided modular format.
- BG183’s artwork crosses into EA SPORTS FC through a newly released in-game kit inspired by the South Bronx pitch.
A New Anchor in the South Bronx
EA SPORTS FC and LALIGA unveiled a refurbished community soccer pitch in the South Bronx, the 10th site delivered globally through their FC FUTURES partnership. The pitch is connected to P.S./M.S. 31 The William Lloyd Garrison School and is designed as a multi-use space for school physical education, daily recess, tournaments, and community events.
The format itself was developed with Urban Soccer Park, a builder known for small-sided modular installations that allow for year-round use and flexible programming across age groups. That construction model has been a recurring choice across FC FUTURES sites and is one reason the program has been able to scale into dense urban environments without traditional field footprints.
A Tats Cru Founder Sets the Visual Identity
The pitch’s visual identity comes from Sotero Ortiz, who works under the name BG183. Ortiz is a founding member of Tats Cru, a South Bronx graffiti collective. According to the project announcement, his design draws on the four elements of hip-hop and everyday Bronx life.
That artwork is also crossing back into the digital game. EA SPORTS confirmed a newly released in-game kit inspired by the South Bronx pitch, giving BG183’s design a footprint inside EA SPORTS FC alongside the physical site. It is one of the more direct examples to date of FC FUTURES tying a real-world build to in-game content.
Programming Beyond the Build
The pitch is paired with a long-term education and football program delivered with South Bronx United, which has run academic support, mentoring, and leadership programming in the borough for years. love.fútbol, a nonprofit that develops community-led play spaces globally, is also part of the local delivery team.
The space is expected to support more than 500 students through school use, alongside year-round community programming. LALIGA Ambassador Patrick Kluivert joined the inauguration and helped open the site with local children and families.
How This Fits the EA-LALIGA Grassroots Strategy
FC FUTURES now spans Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, with complementary programs including equipment donations and youth pathways such as Next Gen Draft. “The future of soccer is built from the grassroots level up,” said Jorge de la Vega, LALIGA’s Executive Director of Business. EA SPORTS’ James Salmon, Senior Director of Partnerships Marketing, framed the New York site as part of a broader effort to connect the digital game with real-world soccer infrastructure.
For operators in the youth sports space, the model is worth tracking on two fronts. First, the pairing of a brand-led build with embedded school programming and local nonprofit delivery is a structure US clubs and leagues are increasingly being asked to match. Second, the in-game kit tie-in points to a tighter loop between physical youth infrastructure and digital content, an area where most US-based operators are still early.
With 10 pitches now live globally, expect FC FUTURES installations and similar league-led builds to keep landing in US markets where youth soccer participation pipelines are thinnest.
Source: EA SPORTS FC™ and LALIGA Launch New York Community Pitch as Part of FC FUTURES Program, Designed by Local Artist BG183, Business Wire, May 7, 2026, https://lancasteronline.com/sports/nfl/ea-sports-fc-and-laliga-launch-new-york-community-pitch-as-part-of-fc-futures/article_8bc29017-5c02-5621-a483-d887bc8af1c6.html
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