The Perot Museum of Nature and Science has opened an exhibit on soccer ahead of the World Cup. "Soccer: More Than a Game" opens Saturday.
"This is learning that feels immediate. It feels relevant and fun," says Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer Dr. Linda Silver.
Silver says the exhibition can show how science, technology, engineering and math contribute to soccer.
"It highlights careers you don't think about when it comes to soccer," she says. "We always think about the athletes, we think about the coaches, but we rarely think about the engineers who design the stadiums or the scientists who create the balls, the cleats or all of the analysts who deal with the data and help us understand statistics. No matter what your skill set is, there's probably a place for you."
When entering, visitors choose colors for jerseys they will design. They can also create a mascot.
Activities are spread among 10,000 square feet at the museum. People can answer questions about what parts of the sport appeal to them. One kiosk asks, "Your coach asks you to help with the team. What sounds most fun?"
People can choose among designing jerseys, helping with equipment, tracking stats or making charts.
At another station, people can see how players are tracked moving across a soccer pitch in real time. Visitors can kick soccer balls at a station similar to a skee-ball machine to see how the ball bounces at different angles with different trajectories.
Families can also stand on an electronic pitch where they have to find a way out as lava flows from a virtual eruption.
"Together these experiences reflect our belief science is everywhere from the games we play to the material we use to the shared moments that bring communities together," Silver says.
Among those at a ribbon cutting Thursday was Luis Rodriguez Bucio, Mexico's consul general in Dallas.
"For kids, it's very interesting to see how technology can be used in sports," he said as he tried different stations.
Trinity FC says the exhibit is opening as interest in soccer surges in North Texas both because of the World Cup but also among kids learning the sport. The organization's Alyx Wynn says the exhibition can inspire the next generation to get involved.
"Dallas Trinity FC exists because representation matters, because when a young girl sees a professional women's soccer club in her city and in a world-class museum, she starts to believe she belongs in this sport as a player, as a scientist, as an engineer, as a leader," she says.
Wynn says when Trinity FC and the Perot Museum started talking about working together on the exhibition, "it just made sense."
"Soccer in North Texas isn't just growing, it's thriving. This is one of the most passionate, diverse communities in the entire country. On any given weekend, you'll find thousands of kids on fields across the region, families driving to matches, communities gathering around the game, it connects people, cultures and generations in ways few things can," she says.
The exhibition is sponsored by Amazon and Verizon. Amazon sponsors the "Coaching Lab for Excellence in Athletics, Technology, and Science" exhibit, known as CLEATS, which focuses on the role technology and science play in soccer.
"This exhibit really brings that mission to life, showing students the skills they're learning in schools, things like math, science and engineering are the exact same skills that power the world's most popular sport."
Soccer: More Than a Game opens Saturday at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and runs through Labor Day. Details are available at https://www.perotmuseum.org/exhibits/soccer-more-than-a-game/.