Super Bowl 54 has come and gone but if you watched the game, you sure felt the excitement. People all over the U.S. shared this moment with parties, tailgates, half time extravaganzas and of course must-see commercials. Along the way, there happened to be a little time for football…

But all this hype and fanfare, got me to thinking: will soccer ever reach the fever-pitch in our country as other pro sports? And if we think it’s possible, how are we going to get there?

As I was driving slowly at the Jersey shore seeking solitude and peace of mind before heading back in town for my own Super Bowl festivities, I couldn’t help but see the answer to my first question staring me back in the face. Every few miles or so I passed some recreation parks and I saw basketball and tennis courts along the bay. Quickly I reminded myself that this is a familiar “attitude” and setting I see all over the country. I immediately got upset.

Someone a long time ago decided that basketball and tennis would be the recreation sports of choice and decided to make them accessible to the public. This image has become the recreational fabric of our country. Yet in Europe and Latin America where soccer is played, loved and adored, you’ll find soccer at every street corner, park and schoolyard. The game is enshrined with futsal and mini courts. Our attitude and commitment to the game must change if we want to see change. Wherever there is a basketball or tennis court there needs to be a Futsal court.

They say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” That’s true, I suppose, but I’m inspired by ex-professional English soccer player and manager Brian Clough, who, when told the same adage about how long it takes for something big to happen, quipped:  “I wasn’t on that particular job.” I love this retort. It shows confidence and optimism and resolve.

Okay, sure, maybe the World Cup doesn’t garner the same excitement as the Super Bowl in the U.S. right now, in 2020, but, it can and I truly believe it will, it just needs the foundation and any great foundation requires the tools to make it.

For me, those tools are mini pitches and futsal courts. These are fun tools. Cultural tools. Tools that can help shape communities and inspire future generations. Tools that grow the game in every neighborhood, town, county, state and country, including the good ‘ole U-S-of-A. Best part: they don’t require coaches, parents, fees or refs. They’re just there for kids to play and if you know anything about me, you know I’m a big fan of playing. Playing brings out joy. Joy inspires work. Work drives commitment. Commitment is the catalyst for change.

Now, I know mini soccer fields aren’t the only solution, but they’re a big a part of the equation to turn soccer from a secondary sport to a primary one. If we really want to see the culture of soccer grow in our country, our commitment to the game needs be more than just talk, it’s needs to take action. And for me that action needs to start in communities. The most direct way to do just that is through free spaces that allow children to experience the game on their own terms and in their own time.

So whether you watched the game for the commercials, Jennifer Lopez, the Chiefs, the Niners or just to say you were part of it, remember, there’s another brand of futbol out there, that may one day make you as excited to scream “Goaaaal” as much as “Touchdown.”