Movement Nurtures Growth

Creating opportunities for every child to play—body, mind, and heart.

Every Child Deserves The Power of Play

Uniting communities to build safe spaces for sports and play.

Fostering Well-being for Youth Through Play

Expanding social, emotional and physical benefits to kids of all ages through play.

The Playing for Keeps Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocacy and fundraising to expand equitable access to safe, high-quality sports and play infrastructure in underserved communities.

OUR MISSION

To advance youth development, public health, and community cohesion with sustainable sports infrastructure and expanded access to play in underserved communities that lack safe play spaces.

WE ENVISION

A future where every child has space to grow — through play and sport that strengthen the body, challenge the mind, and nurture confidence and resilience. A world where participation builds health, belonging, and hope.

WE PROMISE

To break down barriers to play by fighting for safe, accessible spaces where every child —regardless of background — can experience the joy, growth, and lifelong benefits of sports.

Why it matters

Sports and play are not luxuries — they are essential to childhood and health. They build well-being, resilience, teamwork, and confidence. Yet across the U.S., too many communities lack safe, sustainable fields. The Playing for Keeps Association is working to close this gap by advocating for equity in recreation.

Leadership

Dr. Mimi Nartey is an educator, social entrepreneur, and former professional soccer player who represented Ghana in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. A Columbia University alumna, she holds multiple advanced degrees in environmental biology and public health, and her work bridges sports, education, and community development. She has also taught courses in environmental sciences, public and global health, and women’s sports and empowerment at UCLA, Occidental College, and Loyola Marymount University.

Mimi has been recognized as a Modern Luxury “Dynamic Woman” and a Los Angeles Power Couple (with her husband, luxury real estate broker, Kofi Nartey). She co-founded the Nartey Sports Foundation and has delivered a TEDx Talk on sports and empowerment. As a scholar, philanthropist, coach, and mother, she is committed to expanding access to sports as a driver of health, opportunity, and equity.

Dr. Mimi Nartey
Founding president

Impact

The work we do creates space for children to move, play, and grow. Together with local partners and communities, we’re building safe places where play belongs to everyone.

  • We support lobbying efforts for regulations that keep turf safe for kids and communities.
  • We push for better turf — not bans — knowing turf bans prevent access to play in areas where natural grass isn’t a feasible solution.
  • We actively raise funds to install turf in communities without access to safe playing fields.

Benefits of Play

  • Physical Health: Sports encourage movement, and gets kids off handheld devices and screens, alleviating prolonged digitally-driven inactivity
  • Emotional Well-being: Sports and play can help kids develop a sense of self and self-worth. Confidence, creativity, discipline, and dealing with disappointment and success are all beneficial to healthy development of growing children.
  • Social Skills: Practicing teamwork, leadership, and collaboration early can help kids grow into productive, happy, well-socialized adults.
  • Cognitive Development: Play can even help kids do better in the classroom, both academically and behaviorally.

Learn more about the benefits of play here.

Why Turf?

More Opportunities to Play

  • Provides year-round access, through all climates
  • 24/7/365 accessibility and no need for post-event field recovery

Affordability and Return on Investment:

  • Lower maintenance costs than natural grass fields
  • More play hours make synthetic turf a smart, cost-effective investment for communitiescompared to natural grass

Unimpacted by Weather:

  • Turf keeps play going without excessive water needs. 42% of the U.S. and 50% of the lower 48 states are in drought (as of May 24, 2022).
  • Robust, durable, always ready for play, even after heavy rains
  • No hefty repair costs, lengthy recovery time, or pushed schedules when teams play through weather

A Sustainable, Low-Maintenance Option

  • No regular irrigation, saving of water annually, especially in water-stressed regions
  • No mowing means reduced emissions from maintenance
  • No seasonal chemical applications, so athletes, local waterways, and ecosystems aren’t exposed to fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides

“Grass fields sound ideal, but they’re often unplayable after rain or heavy use,” says Dr. Nartey. “Synthetic turf fields stay open year-round, require far less upkeep, and make it possible for schools and parks in under-resourced neighborhoods to keep kids active.” 

Get in Touch

Want to collaborate? Interested in having Dr. Mimi Nartey as a speaker? Looking to learn how you can advocate for play in your own communities?

Let’s connect.