In just under a month’s time, Houston will transform into the FIFA World Cup epicenter as the world’s largest sporting events roll into town
Hundreds of thousands of soccer fans and enthusiasts from around the world will be making their way to our city for a 21-day extravaganza at the rebranded Reliant Stadium. They are coming from every part of the world, with a good number coming from Mexico, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, you name it.
And with that comes attention and opportunity for one of the nation’s most diverse cities and its residents. The anticipation is that once the World Cup has rolled out of town, it will have left a $1.5 billion economic impact on the city.
With so much going on and so much money to be made, the natural question is, how will this event impact Houston’s Black community?
On the surface, this may not seem like our lane. But it can be.
Some Black folks will spend a king’s ransom on a game at NRG Stadium, which will be known as Houston Stadium, from May 15 through July 4, for this once-in-a-lifetime event that will make history. Others will feel a part of the World Cup by attending the free general admission Fan Festival, which will be set up in downtown’s east end and will run from June 11 to July 19.
Fan Fest sounds great, and we will circle back to it shortly. But what about the chance to benefit from some of that $1.5 billion, especially Sunnyside and Fifth and Third Wards, not far away from whatever you want to call the Texans’ home stadium?
Not surprisingly, there aren’t many specifics, even with the largest sporting event in the world just a month away.
“We have tried to reach out to every single community in Houston,” FIFA World Cup Houston Host Committee President Chris Canetti said to the Defender during Monday’s media event at Reliant Center. “We understand the diversity of our community. We understand the demographic makeup of our community. As we think about our legacy programs and our community initiatives, we are thinking about all demographics.”
It all kicks off June 14 when the four-time World Cup champion Germany takes on Curacao on opening night at Houston Stadium. During the part of the World Cup that will be here, fans will also get to see Portugal, Congo DR, Netherlands, Sweden, Uzbekistan, Cabo Verde, and Saudi Arabia, along with a couple of yet-to-be-determined knockout teams on the Fourth of July.
“At the end of the day, what we are hoping for is that when the final whistle blows, and everyone goes home, that we have been able to leverage this World Cup to help Houston become a better place,” Canetti said.
In fairness to the Host Committee, which doesn’t control the FIFA World Cup event itself, there is a plan to make everyone feel as involved as possible. The committee has secured game tickets to be given to underserved youth organizations.
And it sounds like Fan Fest will be something to behold, with giant screens set up to watch all the games, live bands and DJs entertaining the massive crowds, and interactive activities for kids and their families to take part in every day.
Aramco Arena, part of Fan Fest, will host soccer clinics and a tournament, too. And don’t forget about the food.
“We really want locals to attend the Fan Festival so that they can see and experience Houston on full display,” Canetti said. “At the same time, we have hundreds of thousands of international visitors creating this international environment. It’s going to be a beautiful mixture of things.
“So if you are from out of town and you go to the Fan Festival, you are going to see the best of Houston. If you are local, you are going to see the best of Houston mixed in with the celebration of the World Cup and the world’s game with the different cultures from Sweden, Holland, and Congo — you name it.”
Canetti admits that soccer in this country has become more of an elitist upper-crust sport, attracting primarily suburban kids. He hopes that through Fan Fest and the tickets initiative, kids from other communities will get exposed to soccer.
“Soccer is a pay-to-play sport that takes place in the suburbs,” Canetti said. “We are trying to bridge that gap, provide more opportunities for our underserved youth of Houston to have access to a game. That’s a very expensive game that’s played in the suburbs.
“We work with the city and the county. We are renovating 23 grass soccer fields across six Harris County parks. We are working with five soccer clubs to bring organizers of soccer to these refurbished soccer fields that were completely underused. And we are giving kids access to the games. This is not a one-off or a two-off; this is forever, for legacy.”
As for the economic piece, there will certainly be vendor opportunities, which are expected to be announced soon. There is a hint that at least one unnamed prominent Black person will be honored as part of the legacy agenda.
“We have tried to reach out as much as we can,” Canetti said. “Our responsibility, first and foremost, is to honor the contract that we have with FIFA to bring the event to Houston. At the same time, making sure this event is a positive for our community as a whole.”
