Mayor John Duncan handed out 200 Adidas soccer balls to Coronado students over three school visits in September, the result of a FIFA program he nearly forgot applying for.

Duncan spotted an email forwarded through the U.S. Conference of Mayors inviting communities to apply for free soccer balls tied to the 2026 World Cup. He applied, heard nothing and moved on. Then one morning, more than 200 uninflated balls showed up at his office.

"We managed to get them all inflated," Duncan told the Coronado Times.

The balls came through a FIFA partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors that is distributing 100,000 soccer balls to 500 cities ahead of the World Cup, according to Naija News. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the program at the conference's winter meeting in Washington, D.C.

Duncan made the deliveries himself. On Sept. 8, he visited Coronado Middle School during a PE class, where students made thank-you posters for FIFA and took penalty shots with the mayor. Two students from KCMS, the school's broadcasting class, interviewed Duncan about the program and his own soccer background.

On Sept. 10, Duncan joined Christ Church Day School's flagpole assembly, presenting the balls as part of the school's morning gathering. The final stop came Monday, Sept. 14, at Sacred Heart Parish School's Monday morning assembly, where Duncan handed a ball to each eighth grader. Sacred Heart plans to keep some balls for PE and use others as prizes in its Golden Ticket program throughout the school year.

A batch also went to the grand opening of the new dog park at Coronado Cays Park, according to the Coronado Times.

Duncan, who spent 10 years coaching youth soccer in Coronado and served on the Nado Select board, told the Coronado City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 15, that the experience reinforced the value of local leaders showing up. He said kids may not know what a council member does, but they notice when a local leader shows up.

Karl Muller, Brooke Falar and Maria Simon at Coronado Middle School helped coordinate the visits, along with staff at Christ Church Day School and Sacred Heart Parish School, according to the Coronado Eagle & Journal.

At Sacred Heart, the remaining balls will serve double duty: PE equipment during the week and Golden Ticket prizes the rest of the year.