Honorees include nearly 312 projects, products, and services from Google, Adidas, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and others.
Atlanta, GA September 14, 2026 — Soccer in the Streets is proud to announce its StationSoccer program has been named an honorable mention in the Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards for 2026 in the Urban Design category.
Now in its 15th year, the Innovation by Design Awards celebrate the designers and businesses addressing today’s most urgent challenges while anticipating the problems of tomorrow. The program is one of the most prestigious design competitions in the industry, spotlighting work that exemplifies originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural significance, and measurable business impact.
StationSoccer was developed with the idea that soccer can help cultivate healthy communities, and that transit is a natural connection point for people who wouldn’t otherwise have access. For too many kids in metro Atlanta, cost and transportation aren’t just hurdles, they’re walls. Through a groundbreaking partnership between HKS, The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), Atlanta City Studio, Atlanta United Community Fund and Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Soccer in the Streets has broken down these walls by turning vacant MARTA station lots into vibrant, state-of-the-art fields.
“The challenge in Atlanta is that not all families can participate in a pay-to-play model, and if they can, the location of the fields is not always accessible. Our StationSoccer green spaces provide a free, safe space for young soccer players to grow while also highlighting a sustainable urban mobility model,” said Kaseem Ladipo, executive director of Soccer in the Streets.
StationSoccer will celebrate its 10th anniversary in October 2026.
Honorees were selected by a panel of top designers, business executives from leading organizations, and Fast Company editors.
“The Innovation by Design Awards have always recognized the ideas that challenge convention and show what’s possible when design is treated as a strategic force, not an afterthought. Congratulations to this year’s honorees, who demonstrate how thoughtful design can solve meaningful problems and create new possibilities for people and businesses,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company.
To see the complete list, go to fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list, and read about the winners in the Fall issue of Fast Company magazine on newsstands September 22, 2026.
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business,
innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow business publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
About Soccer in the Streets:
Soccer in the Streets is a nonprofit organization founded in 1989 that works to improve the lives of children by providing access to high-quality, community-based soccer programs and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programming. Since its founding, Soccer in the Streets has served tens of thousands of children through its innovative approach, which includes providing SEL, soccer skills training, job opportunities through our youth referee program, and youth coaching, as well as building soccer fields at MARTA transit stations through its StationSoccer™ initiative,
making the sport accessible to communities that need it most while fostering a more connected Atlanta through the power of play. For more information, please visit soccerstreets.org.
