Late NJ Lawmaker’s Love Of Soccer Remembered At Newark Field Dedication

NEWARK, NJ — Albert Coutinho loved his family, his home city and the game of soccer. And it's only fitting that his name now graces a soccer field in Newark, those who remember the late New Jersey assemblyman say.

Earlier this week, family and friends of Coutinho were on hand to dedicate the Albert "Al" Coutinho Soccer Field at a ceremony in Riverfront Park.

Subscribe

Coutinho formerly represented the state's 29th district in the New Jersey Assembly. He also served on the Newark planning and zoning boards, and as an Essex County Utilities Authority commissioner. He was a prominent businessman, co-founder of the Ironbound Soccer Club, and an organizer of the Newark Portugal Day Festival.

Coutinho died in a car crash last March. Authorities have made an arrest in the case.

On Wednesday, the late lawmaker's name was added to the scoreboard at the soccer field off of Raymond Boulevard in Newark and a bronze plaque was installed at the field's entrance.

The plaque begins with a quote by soccer legend Pele: "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and, most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do."

It continues:

"Albert 'Al' Coutinho loved three things: his family, soccer and his Portuguese heritage; and he always was trying to help others and improve the community he loved. Born and raised in Newark's Ironbound, Albert started working in his family's bakery business at the age of 8 and later used those experiences to inspire the entrepreneurial pursuits of others. A huge soccer fan throughout his life, he operated and co-founded the Ironbound Soccer Club to provide recreation opportunities for young athletes and used the game of soccer to help players further their education by earning college scholarships. He put a global spotlight on Newark's Ironbound by bringing international soccer tournaments to the neighborhood and organizing the annual Newark Portugal Day Festival, which has become the largest Portuguese heritage event outside of Portugal and the largest cultural event in New Jersey. He was equally proud to represent his community in government affairs and had the distinction of being the first person of Portuguese descent to be elected to the NJ Assembly. Naming the Essex County Albert 'Al' Coutino Soccer Field will keep his memory close to the game he loved and inspire others to make an impact in their community as he did."

Several elected officials were present for the dedication ceremony at Riverfront Park, including former Gov. Phil Murphy, U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez Jr., New Jersey Sen. Teresa Ruiz, NJ Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin, Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo Jr., Essex County commissioners Wayne Richardson and Len Luciano, Essex County Sheriff Amir Jones, and Newark Councilman Michael Silva.

"Honoring Albert is beautiful because he was passionate about the soccer which is known as the beautiful game but also because of the opportunities he created for so many generations of soccer players and residents in Newark," said his niece, Emily Goncalves.

"In a world where green space is at a premium in urban communities, he was an advocate for fields like the one we are naming in his honor today," Goncalves said.

Coutinho was also remembered fondly by local community leaders from Newark.

John Soares, co-founder of the Ironbound Soccer Club, said that despite all his accomplishments with soccer, the most important thing to Coutinho was the $3 million in college scholarships earned by his athletes.

Nancy Zak of the Ironbound Community Corporation said Coutinho will be missed because he was a "bridge" for many other people in Newark.

"He was involved in getting us funding and keeping our parks beautiful," Zak said.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.