Local and state community organizations, businesses and leaders came together to make soccer more accessible to Henry County residents of all ages.

“Growing up in Henry County there was nowhere to just play soccer — we had to hop fences and find random fields,” admits Sam Morrison, now director of operations for Georgia Revolution FC, a professionally managed soccer club in McDonough.

He and his brother Alec grew up playing soccer since they were toddlers. They played on teams and at their schools, but if they wanted to go out on a Saturday afternoon to play a quick fun soccer game with their friends, they were limited.

“Growing up a military brat, I went to 13 different schools — some places we played soccer at were excellent but some weren’t as welcoming,” recalls Alec Morrison, general manager for Georgia Revolution. “I wanted to create something that feels like home. I want to be as welcoming as possible.”

In September 2025, a mini soccer pitch — a smaller version of a regulation-size soccer field — opened at Alexander Park in McDonough to help create that outlet.

“If you want to just go play with your buddies, there’s no boundaries to playing,” explains Alec Morrison, who uses the field himself with his friends for a quick pickup game from time to time. “This is creating access for people to play soccer. We’re trying to find as many opportunities as we can for any player.”

Around 2022, Sam Morrison started working on the mini soccer pitch project, collaborating with then-Mayor Sandra Vincent to find a location, which in the past was a city swimming pool, as well as completing the application process and fundraising.

“The community was wonderful and very giving,” explains his dad Eric Morrison, president of the Southern Crescent Soccer Foundation for which Georgia Revolution is the academy. “We did all the fundraising. It was from a combination of people and corporations with donations from $5 to $25,000.”

Atlanta United helped fund the 17th pitch of its kind in the state through its GA 100 project, part of the Atlanta United Community Fund, which plans to help build 100 soccer pitches across the state by providing a matching grant of $100,000 to help develop them. Other pitches also are found in Gainesville, Loganville, Augusta and Decatur with more to come in underserved communities.

The McDonough field cost about $300,000 to build. The city provided $75,000 and Kaiser Permanente provided $35,000.

“We staff it during the week and it’s open on weekends,” explains Eric Morrison of the pitch, which is open to the public and offers free or cheap areas of play, clinics and programming for residents of any age. “It’s great for community events — and even on a random Wednesday night you can see people just lined up along the fence. It’s open all year — when the weather is nice, it’s packed.”

By Michelle Floyd