City in the Community and NYU SPS Collaborate on Youth Innovation and Sport Day
MLS New York City FC

City in the Community and NYU SPS Collaborate on Youth Innovation and Sport Day

Published on July 10, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New York City FC News Release


City in the Community NY (CITC), the nonprofit foundation and charitable arm of New York City FC, and New York University School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) are collaborating on a YouthInnovation and Sport Day on July 10. The Day will serve as a forum for participants, focused on the impact of major sports events, such as the FIFA World Cup, and on innovation in sports, including artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

The Youth Innovation and Sport Day will bring together NYU students and participants from the Foundation's Youth Leadership Summit. Participants of the Summit are young leaders from FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities across the United States taking part in leadership development, community football training, innovation and workforce programming, and youth-led project development designed to strengthen the next generation of community leaders across the country.

"This Youth Innovation and Sport Day reflects what City in the Community believes the FIFA World Cup can achieve at its best: using the global spotlight of the tournament to create meaningful local opportunity," said Bailee Eaglin, City in the Community Executive Director. "By connecting young people with civic leaders, industry experts, and one another, we're helping turn a global sporting moment into leadership, workforce pathways, and lasting community impact."

NYU SPS is also supporting the Summit through on-campus accommodations for participants, in addition to designing programming led by NYU faculty, practitioners, and industry experts during the Youth Innovation and Sport Day. The collaboration builds on nearly a decade of programming delivered in partnership with CITC, using soccer, sport, and technology as tools for learning, leadership, and community impact.

"Partnering with City in the Community NY allows us to take education beyond the classroom. For example, over the past several years, we have collaborated on a podcasting course for high school students," said Mary Killilea, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Innovation at NYU SPS. "Global events, like the World Cup, provide an extraordinary opportunity to make a lasting change in our cities. Our collaboration on the Summit, along with our industry-connected NYU SPS Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport faculty participating in the youth forum, will help turn passion for sport into real, measurable local action."

The Youth Innovation & Sport Day reflects City in the Community NY and NYU SPS's shared commitment to turning the energy of the FIFA World Cup into meaningful opportunity for young people. Through leadership development, community football training, workforce programming, and direct engagement with faculty, civic partners, and industry experts, the Day will help equip young leaders with the skills, connections, and experience to strengthen their communities long after the tournament.

"Sports play such an important role in shaping the way people live and work in communities around the world," said Lee Igel, clinical professor at the NYU SPS Tisch Institute for Global Sport, who contributed to the development of the agenda for this Youth Innovation and Sport Day. "Participating in the Summit is an opportunity for young leaders to learn a playbook for advancing what they are already doing to build the future of the places they call home."




Major League Soccer Stories from July 10, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central