Rise FC x Rea Farms STEAM Academy: A Partnership That Grew a Fieldand a Community
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Rise FC x Rea Farms STEAM Academy: A Partnership That Grew a Fieldand a Community
Over the past two and a half years, Rise FC, Rea Farms STEAM Academy (RFSA), and Costner Care Landscaping have worked side-by-side on a simple goal with big consequences: give the school and the surrounding community a safe, beautiful, and truly playable natural-grass field.
What began as a few conversations about “could we…?” has become a model collaboration between a public school, a local club, and a private partner.
Today, students use the field for daily recess and PE, RFSA teams practice and compete on a safer surface, and Charlotte Rise FC’s players train on a pitch that reflects the standards we expect from the game.
None of this happens without leadership. Principal Brooklyn Hough championed this effort from the very first meeting, bringing CMS, school staff, our club, and vendors to the table and kept everyone moving in the same direction.
We’re grateful for her vision, her follow-through, and her belief that a great field is more than grass; it’s a community asset. Thank you, Principal Hough, and thank you to the entire Rea Farms STEAM Academy team.
How the partnership startedIn 2023, RFSA and Charlotte Rise FC began discussing how to improve the school’s outdoor athletic space. The surface was playable, but not dependable because it’s too hard in dry months, too soft after rain, and wears unevenly.
The school wanted a safer, more welcoming area for recess and after-school sports. Our club needed a training environment that matched the standards we teach.
With Principal Hough’s support, we scoped a partnership plan where Charlotte Rise FC would invest time, funds, and labor while RFSA would open the door and coordinate school-side logistics, and Costner Care Landscaping would provide professional field work and ongoing maintenance.
What we actually did
Partnerships only matter if they produce results. Over the last 2.5 years, we invested steadily, season by season:
- Assessment & plan. We walked the field with Costner Care, mapped high- and low-wear zones, noted compaction, and built an annual care calendar the school could count on.
- Surface rehabilitation. We top-dressed and leveled low areas, addressed thatch and compaction, and re-established healthy soil structure in the highest-traffic corridors.
- Reseeding & turf health. We executed a consistent overseed program and a responsible fertilization plan aimed at durability and safety, not vanity.
- Edges, traffic flow & safety. We cleaned up transitions, improved drainage in trouble spots, and adjusted training layouts to distribute wear.
- Maintenance rhythm. Costner Care set the cadence, regular mowing heights, slice-seeding, and mid-season touch-ups, to keep the surface reliable throughout the school year.
The result is a natural-grass surface that’s forgiving underfoot, drains better, and holds up to both school day use and afternoon training.
Students benefit every recess. RFSA’s middle-school athletes benefit in practices and games. Rise FC’s players benefit in technical sessions that demand predictable footing.
The fourth & fifth-grade pilot
One of the most exciting outcomes of this partnership has been the 4th–5th grade soccer pilot we launched with the school this past year. The goals were simple:
- Access. Give students a structured, positive introduction to the game on their own campus.
- Education. Teach fundamentals the right way, ball mastery, movement, decision-making, without the “win at all costs” noise.
- Community. Build a bridge from school to club that keeps the focus on joy, inclusion, and growth.
With support from Principal Hough and RFSA staff, we scheduled after-school sessions, brought professional coaches, and integrated character themes, effort, respect, and teamwork into each practice.
The response from students and families has been outstanding. Kids who had never played organized soccer are now confident with the ball at their feet, and many have joined our community sessions and camps. That’s the pipeline the game needs: school → safe field → joyful training → lasting participation.
Why this matters
A field is never just a field. It’s where classmates become teammates, where kids learn how to work, and where a school can feel like one community. But this requires day-in, day-out stewardship. A great surface isn’t built with one big weekend; it’s created by a plan, a budget, and people who care. That’s what this partnership has done.
- For RFSA students: safer recess play, better PE outcomes, and a place that invites kids to move.
- For school athletics: an improved home field that reflects pride in the RFSA name.
- For families: a visible investment in student wellbeing and a low-friction path into community sport.
- For Charlotte Rise FC: a chance to give back and to train our players on a pitch that teaches the right habits.
For the neighborhood: a showcase of how school–club–business collaborations can raise standards without raising barriers.
Our partners deserve the credit
We want to specifically thank:
- Principal Brooklyn Hough – for setting the vision, clearing roadblocks, and keeping the school and community aligned.
- The RFSA staff – for the countless small things that make shared use work: schedule coordination, communication, and supervision.
- Costner Care Landscaping – for professional, reliable field care, and for treating the surface like the living system it is.
CMS – for supporting a collaboration that benefits students first.
What’s next
The partnership is continuously flourishing A field is a living project, and we intend to keep improving it. The plan for the coming year includes continued overseeding, targeted top-dressing, and periodic maintenance windows to protect the surface during the heaviest use periods.
On the programming side, we’ll grow the 4th–5th grade pilot, expand skills sessions, and add coach-education touchpoints so parents and teachers can reinforce the same fundamentals we teach on the pitch.
We also hope to build a small scholarship pool for RFSA students who want to pursue additional training or camps but need financial support. Access matters. Talent is everywhere; opportunity isn’t. We can help change that, together.
A final word of thanks
To Principal Hough and the entire Rea Farms STEAM Academy community: thank you for trusting us. Soccer has a way of bringing people together, and your openness turned an idea into a field that now serves hundreds of kids each week.
To Costner Care Landscaping: thank you for the craftsmanship and consistency—you’ve been rock-solid.
And to our Rise FC families and coaches who volunteered time, showed up for work days, and adjusted schedules so school always came first, this is your win, too.
From the very beginning, our shared message has been clear: build the environment, and the kids will grow. Today, when we step onto the RFSA field and see students playing tag at recess, a PE class working through ladders, and our players taking good first touches in the afternoon, we know the work has been worth it.
This is what collaboration looks like. This is what a community field should feel like.
Let’s Rise Together!
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