To: Dr.Karen L.

Thompson
From: Ali Alkhaldi
Date: 7/19/2016

Project Description:
Project for converting one of the multipurpose fields in the Marquette Park into a complete
professional soccer field in Chicago Lawn. This would provide the community with the
professional and standard facilities to ensure a healthy environment for the development of
the interest of young athletes in the football.
Requested Funding: $82000

Description of Organization
The Local Initiative Support Corporation in Chicago is a non-profitable organization
dedicated to provide financial assistance, and produces its services in various fields and
improving the living standards of humans from different aspects. There are several programs
initiated in the neighborhoods and local communities that have helped the residents and people to
avail the basic necessities of life and enjoy a more healthier and productive life style. Through
the grants provided to its through several donors and by maintaining healthy relations with the
sponsors the organization has a wide scale infrastructure that has associated itself to several other
communities and organizations keen to help elevate the life style of the people and to reduce the
problem faced by them in quest to archive their basic rights and commodities. LISC Chicago
provide the strong plans and shares its expertise in many fields and has contributed a lot in terms
of increasing the economic and financial status of many communities that were deprived and
were looking for external assistance to resolve their issues (LISC, 2016).
There are many areas where the LISC Chicago has been engaged with the local
communities and has made them able to utilize their already available resources with the help of
donated funding in the most affective, appropriate and productive manner. This is done by
proposing several projects and developing useful strategies and arranging the capital
expenditures in the short time. The major sectors include technological advancement, arranging
residential facilities, elevation of financial status and eradiation of economic crisis, health,
protection, safety, issuance of loans for businesses or other purposes, facilities for improved and
efficient education and establishment of healthy networks and communication across different
communities (LISC Chicago, 2016).

The proposal is based on the development of the plan for the proper maintenance of the
football fields in the neighborhoods situated in the Chicago and its surrounding areas. The
organization has been involved in these kinds of activities for a long time and has successfully
completed many projects to improve the sports facilities in the region and provide the locals with
better environment to keep their interest developed in physical activity through sports and other
outdoor games. The LISC has collaborated with the Chicago bears and has arranged the funding
of $1.3 million while the organization has funded a total amount of $11 million to improve and
renovate the nine parks and play grounds in the neighborhood. For the proposed project the
organization can provide full compliance to the existing infrastructure to improve the sports and
health facilities in the football playgrounds in Chicago Lawn.

Description of Neighborhood
Chicago Lawn is a small community situated on the southwest side of the city and is based on
the working class locals belonging to the mediocre financial statues. Most of the families are
struggling to get the basic necessities of the life and sports or any kind of physical activity is a
major part of it. The people belong to many different ethnicities having a diverse culture and
traditional background. Therefore there is quite a multi oriented atmosphere in the community.
They are thriving very hard to elevate their economic status and to overcome the downfall in the
investment rate in the area while also trying to make this place and attractive destination for
people belonging to different ethnic and cultural background to settle down and start earning a
good living. The total population of the community constitutes about 63000 residents and this
figure has seen a downfall of 3% from the year 2000. The ethnic diversity is very prominent in
the region where the 55% of population is African American, 30% Latino and 12 % white

Americans. The total number of the houses or residential units in the community is about 17000
out of which the owned properties include about 10000 of the total figure. The average income of
a single house is about $42,800 which has seen a rise of about 14% since the year 2014.
Whereas, the percentage of total population having an income above $50,000 is about 21%
(LISC Chicago, 2016).

Description of the Project

The project is based on the development and maintenance of the football and soccer filed in the
Marquette Park located in the Chicago Lawn community that was named after the French
missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette. The park contains many sections like gymnasium,
golf course, changing rooms and multipurpose fields but lacks a proper soccer field that deprives
the children and the other high school athletes of the basic necessities and facilities that are
enjoyed by a highly specified and well maintained football field. All the fields are multipurpose
and are also used for the other sports like baseball, basketball, volleyball or other outdoor
activities. The lack of a proper place to play football has decreased the interest of the athletes in
this very important sport. The total area of the park is about 323 acres which means that there is a
whole lot of space for different sports to be played and organized in a more professional way to
make the local children aware of the international standards of the game. The project is to locate
one of the four multipurpose fields and then allocate it separately for playing football by
converting it into a proper football ground. Initial analysis has been performed about the
complete park by site visits and most appropriate filed for the soccer has been identified. The
first step will be the site control which includes the proper allocation of the space for the field.

This would be done by properly fencing and creating boundaries for the field according to the
precise measurements done for the football field.
After the boundaries have been determined for the field with the help of the fencing the
next step will be to arrange to proper soccer goals in the ground and determine the right zones for
different teams. Further improvements of the field would include the development of a proper
infrastructure for the long term maintenance of the field. But before the arrangement of the long
term development first the complete field will have to be leveled and prepared with the grass
properly and extra labor would be needed for that. Other facilities include the implementation of
the proper irrigation systems and installation of the lights in the field that would enable the
players to enjoy their game at night as well and also provide the financial assistance by renting
out the fields at nights. Then existing locker rooms would be used by the athletes for the
changing and resting facilitation. Proper marketing campaigns would be held at selected days
and by distribution of brochures. The special events would be organized for the match funding
and other organization would also be asked to promote this game by providing sponsorships for
matches. The budget of the project has been calculated and mentioned below in the table.
Table 1: Budget Estimation

Facility and Commodity

Cost

Field Maintenance Budget (for five years)

Irrigation Equipment Installation
Irrigation management budget (for five

$12000,( $200/month )
$10000
$12000, ( $200/month )

years)
Installation of Lights
Preparation of field (Markings and Goals)
Implementation of Accounts and Finance

$15000
$8000
$10000

framework
Fencing and Boundary Cost
Preparation of Locker Rooms

$10000
$5000

Total Budget

$82000

Impact of Project and Future Sustainability

The greatest advantage of this project would be the revival o0f the on-filed soccer sports in the
community where the children and athletes belonging to different background would be able to
enjoy the modern facilities of the football and also their interest in this international sport would
develop. There would also be an increased revenue generation because of the implementation of
this project because more teams from the schools and local communities would be attracted to
play games in a professional environment where the people had to play in the streets because of
the lack of proper infrastructure. This financial support can be further elevated by organizing the
intercollege and school tournaments for the football that would be the best way to sell tickets and
get income.
For the continued safety the proper maintenance of the field is a must and requires a person to
take care of the ground level and the quality of the grass and field surface by regular cutting of
the grass twice a week. The irrigation would also be controlled by a field supervisor. There
would also be personal required to take care of the accounts and other financial matters
associated with the arrangement of the games and matches.
The only long term requirement of the project is to keep the surface clean and ready to be used or
played upon all the time and that is not very expensive.
Revenue Generation
The renting of the field would be done at the per hour rate of $40 for both competing teams.
Based on the need for such kind of facility it is expected that at least 4 hours will be rented out

each day on average. Therefore the total cost generated just by the renting out of field would
become about $57600.

Information source for NFL Foundation Grassroots Program

The information about the grant sponsored by the NFL was obtained through the official website
of the organization because LISC has been associated with this organization in the past for
various other projects and keeps a track record of the further sponsorships and grants available
for the improvement and development of the society by empowering it socially and financially.

References:
LISC. (2016). Helping Neighbors Build Communities. Retrieved july 15, 2016, from
www.lisc.org: http://www.lisc.org/
LISC Chicago. (2016). Areas of Work and Neighborhoods. Retrieved july 15, 2016,
from www.lisc-chicago.org: http://www.lisc-chicago.org/news/category/189