From the Field — Perspectives on Play, Policy, and Progress.

Returning to soccer as a player, Dr. Mimi Nartey sees women discovering the joy, connection, and health that sport can bring at every age. Their stories remind her why every child deserves the chance to play—and carry its benefits throughout life.

Watching her son compete in MLS NEXT, Dr. Mimi Nartey reflects on the rising cost of youth sports and how scarce field space can push fees even higher. She makes the case for investing in more quality places to play so access to sport depends less on what a family can afford.

Returning to the sidelines at Wiseburn Da Vinci, Dr. Mimi Nartey reflects on a field that continues to serve students and the community years after installation. For her, lasting sports infrastructure is measured by how reliably it creates safe opportunities to play, learn, and connect.

As her daughter begins college as a student-athlete at UC Berkeley, Dr. Mimi Nartey reflects on the opportunities sport can create beyond competition—from education and leadership to lifelong connections. Those pathways start years earlier, with supportive communities and safe places to play.

As Los Angeles prepares to host a series of major sporting events, Dr. Mimi Nartey asks what children will inherit when the games are over. She makes the case for a lasting legacy of safe play spaces, stronger communities, and opportunities that continue long after the global spotlight moves on.

In Kumasi, Ghana, Dr. Mimi Nartey meets young players whose talent and determination shine despite training on a rough dirt pitch. She reflects on how access to safe, quality places to play shapes opportunity — and why a child’s future shouldn’t depend on the field beneath their fee

At the ESPYS Humanitarian Awards, Dr. Mimi Nartey saw how influence can become lasting impact. Reflecting on Stephen Curry’s work with Eat. Learn. Play., she explores how athletes, businesses, and community partners can invest in opportunities that endure long after the applause fades — including safe places for every child to play.

Reflecting on the Title IX Awards, Dr. Mimi Nartey considers how far women’s sports have come—and the work still needed to make opportunity real. Legal rights open doors; safe, accessible fields help girls walk through them. Every child deserves a place to play.

Dr. Mimi Nartey reflects on watching her daughter step onto a World Cup field and the resources behind its world-class playing conditions. She asks how communities can create sustainable, safe places to play — where young athletes can discover the game and begin to dream.

Dr. Mimi Nartey reflects on Playing for Keeps’ temporary play spaces at The ‘Wood Cup and Destination Crenshaw—and why children deserve more than a memorable afternoon. Lasting sports legacies begin with safe, high-quality places to play every day.