Austin FC and several community partners have opened a soccer pitch designed for students at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) campus in Austin.

Why it matters: Organizers say it's the first pitch in Texas built for athletes who are blind or have low vision, expanding access to adaptive sports in Central Texas.

Driving the news: Austin FC's nonprofit arm, 4ATX Foundation, partnered with Soccer Assist, PCSI and the school to build the soccer pitch.

• The groups marked the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week and a soccer clinic led by U.S. Blind Soccer National Team member and TSBVI alum Ricky Castaneda.

State of play: Official pitches for blind or visually impaired athletes are smaller than a regulation soccer pitch and are surrounded by "kick-boards" — a physical barrier that indicates the boundaries of the playing area, according to the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes.

• TSBVI, which serves an average of 11,000 students, has been seeking to fund a blind soccer pitch for the past few years, according to the school.

What they're saying: "This project is a key component that creates opportunity for students to foster their mental and physical health through athletics," school superintendent Emily Coleman said in a statement.

Zoom out: The pitch is the third project completed through the Verde Pitch Alliance, a $2 million initiative focused on building free public soccer spaces across Central Texas.

• 4ATX Foundation says it has now helped build 13 soccer spaces serving more than 693,000 people.
• The organization's goal is for 1 million Central Texans to live within 3 miles of a free public soccer space by 2030.

What's next: Austin FC president Andy Loughnane announced that Q2 Stadium plans to introduce Field of Vision haptic devices later this year for fans who are blind or have low vision.

• The handheld devices, which translate live match action into tactile feedback, will be available for free during Austin FC home matches.

📍 If you go: While the school's new pitch is open to only its students, Austin FC says residents can find public soccer spaces through the club's website.

Share this story

Amazon is pushing deeper into "instant retail" with a new 30-minute delivery service, soon to hit Austin.

Why it matters: Retailers once competed to deliver in days, then hours. Now the race is to fulfill last-minute orders almost instantly — reshaping how consumers shop for everyday items and escalating competition with Walmart, Target and delivery apps.

Driving the news: Amazon said today it is expanding "Amazon Now," a new 30-minute delivery service offering thousands of groceries, household essentials and other items across dozens of U.S. cities, including Austin.

• The service is widely available in Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Seattle.
• The announcement follows Amazon's March expansion of one-hour and three-hour delivery options across a growing number of U.S. cities.

Follow the money: Prime members pay $3.99 per Amazon Now order, while non-members pay $13.99.

• Additional fees apply to smaller orders.

The big picture: The battle for consumer spending is increasingly becoming a battle over speed.

What they're saying: Amazon said customers can use the service for everything from dinner ingredients to electronics and household essentials.

Yes, but: Faster delivery can be expensive for retailers and consumers alike.

The bottom line: Retailers are pushing closer to a future where it's faster to have products delivered than to leave home and buy them yourself.

📧 Readers, do you use expedited delivery? How has it changed your routine — or do you still prefer running errands in person?

• Respond to this email and share your thoughts.

🐝 Austin-based Bumble CEO Whitney Wolf Herd dodged a question about whether the dating app maker would consider going private. (Axios)

💸 Travis County commissioners approved $17.65 million to expand child care and after-school programs. (Community Impact)

🤖 An Austin AI company aims to help restaurants answer phone calls through a new partnership with the Texas Restaurant Association (Austin American-Statesman)

📚 An adults-only book fair, "School-tastic Book Fair for Grownups," returns to Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex in East Austin this Saturday. (KUT)

An Austin-based wedding officiation and events company is offering free micro-weddings to LGBTQ+ couples during Pride Month.

Driving the news: Broadly Entertaining plans to gift up to six Central Texas couples customized micro-wedding ceremonies on June 21 — the Summer Solstice.

Zoom in: The ceremonies will take place at ColdTowne Theater in East Austin 2-8pm, with one wedding scheduled each hour.

• Each couple will receive a personalized ceremony package for 10 guests that includes an officiant, decor, music, photography, snacks and beverages.

How it works: Couples must apply by Saturday and pay a non-refundable $15 application fee, some of which will benefit the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ youth.

• Selected couples will be notified by May 23.

What's next: The company hopes to eventually expand the concept nationally through a planned "United States of AmeriQueer Wedding Tour."

Yesterday we asked what you'd name Mayor Kirk Watson's newly adopted bulldogs from Austin Bulldog Rescue.

Catch up quick: Watson adopted a male English bulldog and a female French bulldog.

Lots of you had thoughts.

• "Bear (male) and Caramel (female)," Margaret J. suggests, adding that they could be "Barry and Carrie" for short.
• Bob H. thinks Watson should go with "Buster and Bertie."
• "Boo Boo (Bear) for the Bulldog" or "Jelly (as in Jellystone Park)," April L. suggests, along with "Winnie" or "Butterscotch" for the French bulldog.

Christina L. has some very well-researched suggestions: Chuck for the bulldog "because it's a single syllable TX sounding name/nickname, similar to predecessor 'Doc.'"

• And Dulce (DOOL-say) for the Frenchie because "she looks like the color of dulce de leche, and it's a double syllable Spanish name/nickname, similar to predecessor 'Lola.'"
• Plus, Andrea E. seconds "Dulce," and adds that Oso is another choice.

The bottom line: We can't promise he'll take any of these, but we think they're pretty good.

More name ideas