Garrett Eastman-Pinto

Motivated student with a track record of academic excellence looking for part-time work. Intends to develop professional work experience utilizing excellent communication and time management skills learned through the lens of urban planning.

Blind Soccer:

Last year I saw a video of Brazil playing the United States in “blind” soccer. Some players were sighted, others were not, but everyone wore blindfolds to ensure nobody had partial vision; they darted around precisely, passing and shooting a ball with bells. With my good eye I saw things the players must have sensed in other ways–a shot ripping through the air into the top-left corner of the net, or neck veins bulging in a player celebrating a goal.

In that video I saw what participating could mean to people with visual impairments. At the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista I met a coach named David Brown—a gold medalist and a current captain of the national team for blind soccer. He invited me to try the sport. Blindfolded, I crashed into the walls of the arena and took big, empty swings at the rattling ball. When I hit it, the ball flew away from me and the sound got dimmer. I found myself disoriented.

I thought that more could be done to ensure that the sport was accessible. In blind soccer, the referee’s job is to redirect players by shaking or moving the ball. While national-level matches and large clinics can use this technique, it’s harder to employ in a small, recreational setting with amateur players.

I envisioned a more accessible ball–one that wouldn’t stop rattling when it stopped moving. So I researched sensory technology in sports equipment and designed a ball that beeps “progressively”slowly when stopped, faster when moving, and filed for a provisional patent.

I met with Roberta O’Connor of the Braille Institute about making a program for blind soccer. We discussed how building self-esteem in visually-impaired youth is the Braille Institute’s goal. We’ve scheduled small-sided clinics where I teach visually impaired youth to play blind soccer. We’ll be experimenting with the prototype of the “beeping ball” in upcoming clinics at the Braille Institute, hosted by a non-profit I created, Sound Soccer.

NYCFC Policy Memo

I've also written a policy proposal to the New York City Football Club regarding their mini pitch project. I've included a few excerpts and a link to the project below.

The Opportunity

As an avid soccer player and a student of urban planning, my passion for the game and for urban accessibility has driven me to explore ways to make pickup soccer more accessible throughout the city. Having recently moved to NYC, I’ve discovered a need for greater infrastructure and better organization around informal soccer opportunities. To me, soccer has always felt full of possibility, artful, inclusive, and open to creativity. Half the world doesn’t have the resources for tennis courts. Soccer requires just a bit of flat ground. Grass is nice, but an empty dirt lot will do.

With the 2026 World Cup approaching, promoting soccer in NYC is essential to foster enthusiasm and lasting spaces for the sport’s growth in America. Soccer has immense potential to grow in New York City, it has the potential to be an inclusive game at the intersection of diverse cultures, ethnicities, religions, and genders. Among NYC’s large immigrant communities, there is a massive demand for play which is currently not being accommodated, let alone facilitated. There is an opportunity for New York City, led by the NYC Football Club, to finally realize the longstanding dream of making New York a true soccer city.

The Problem: The Challenges of Playing Soccer in New York City’s Public Parks

In New York City, soccer is in popular demand for many residents, providing a way to stay active, fit, maintain community, and enjoy the city's outdoor spaces. It’s also a way for many immigrants in NYC to enjoy the sport that they might have played back home. Public parks play a central role in facilitating this, as many parks serve as athletic complexes for sports. However, while the demand for soccer spaces is high, there are many challenges that a non-paying player encounters when trying to use these public facilities, including cost, access and availability.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uu1FGguCpvogn1mBrs9FBNM4Og474jHjVEEvrxdcKkM/edit?usp=sharing