Diaza x &FTBL: Where Culture Doesn’t Sit in the Stands, It Plays on the Field

le janv. 06 2026

Diaza is proud to keep building with & Football as they gear up for the 2026 season. We’re walking with them because we share a simple belief: great football can be played in parks, by communities, and for communities.

It started in 2020, when the city felt smaller and lonelier. A handful of players, artists and neighbors—tired of a pay‑to‑play system that priced people out—decided to do something stubborn: make football happen. They pooled money, booked a park, printed a few shirts, and showed up. That small, improvised experiment grew season after season into & Football: a community‑owned league that treats the pitch like a neighborhood square, the kit like a canvas, and every player like a stakeholder.

Rejecting pay‑to‑play, building a community economy

From the start, & Football rejected the idea that access should depend on a wallet. The league channels every dollar back into the game—jerseys, media and operations—so the people who play are the ones who decide how value is used. That model flips incentives: instead of exclusivity or profit, the priority is making matches better, keeping operations honest, and giving players real ownership.

Over eleven seasons in five years, with two reliable cycles each year, a WhatsApp community of roughly 100 players has kept rosters fluid and bonds tight. Each season fields about 50–60 players across six teams, and the league’s structure—shared decisions, reinvested funds, transparent priorities—creates a small, functioning economy where the community benefits directly from its own labor and creativity.

Culture and community as the game itself

Culture isn’t an add‑on for & Football; it’s the playing field. Seasonal themes—like the Caribbean kits of 2025—turn uniforms into statements of identity and heritage. Local photographers, filmmakers and designers use the league as a creative lab, producing work that elevates players and neighborhoods alike. Digitally, personalized stat cards and peer‑voted ratings give players visibility beyond the pitch. Matchdays feel like block parties: kids running between games, partners and friends on the sidelines, music, food and a real sense of belonging.

Former professionals, national‑team players, creatives and neighborhood ballers share the same pitch; some of the city’s best female players line up next to former pros and everyday players. Teams carry stories and creative projects that ripple beyond the season, and the league’s archive—eleven seasons of documented stats, photo and video work—proves that grassroots football can produce both serious outcomes and cultural capital.

Growth has followed without losing roots.

& Football has taken teams and players into KidSuper Rooftop League, Icarus Cup, Bowery League and other recognized tournaments; they’ve won cups, earned nominations like Little Caribbean’s “Best Local Attraction,” and attracted international interest while keeping the community model intact. Matchday energy is unmistakable: Brooklyn grit, street‑football instincts and neighborhood pride. The league’s cultural mix leans Caribbean and Latin American but is intentionally eclectic; that blend gives each season a distinct flavor.

Shared values

We stand with & Football because they prove what we believe: you can create high‑quality, meaningful football in parks and local fields without turning the game into a commodity. They create visibility and opportunity for talent that often falls outside traditional pathways, and they build cultural infrastructure that benefits players, artists and neighborhoods alike. This is all about community and creativity.

“Working with organizations like & Football reminds us why we started Diaza,” says Diego Hurtado, founder of Diaza. “Football is a tool to build community, and when culture comes first, the game becomes a platform for real opportunity. We want to keep building alongside projects that put people and creativity at the center.”

The 2026 season is shaping up to be another chapter in a story about what football can be when it belongs to the people who play it, not to the highest bidder.

This is football that happens in parks, made by people, and powered by culture. It’s joyful, competitive and communal—and it’s exactly the kind of game we want to keep building with.

 

Follow:

&FTBL on Instagram: www.instagram.com/andfootballleague
Diaza: www.instagram.com/diazafootball

More on our work at www.diaza.com

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