City Opens Soccer Field At Harlem Public School

HARLEM, NY — First Lady Chirlane McCray and city officials were joined by members of the New York City FC and students from PS 83 and PS 182 to celebrate the opening of a new soccer field at the public school facility.

The new mini soccer field was one of 10 new fields to open throughout the city Tuesday as part of the New York City Soccer Initiative — a program launched in 2016 to build and maintain 50 soccer fields in underserved neighborhoods, according to the mayor's office.

"Participating in sports while I was growing up contributed a great deal to the person I am today. I want every child in New York City to have that same opportunity. The NYC Soccer Initiative provides our most vulnerable youth communities with valuable programming and life-long mentors to enrich their lives," McCray said Tuesday.

Members of New York City FC played a scrimmage Tuesday against the local public schools students to officially break in the new field.

The New York City Soccer Initiative will invest $3 million to build and maintain 50 soccer fields in underserved neighborhoods over the next five years. Harlem will also receive a soccer field at Harlem Lane Park as part of the initiative, according to city officials. The city has partnered with organizations such as the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, New York City Football Club, Adidas and Etihad Airways to fund the initiative.

The 10 fields that opened Tuesday are located throughout all five boroughs. The locations include:

• Hillside Park/Irwin Altman Middle School 172, Queens
• 2. Frederick Johnson Playground, Manhattan
• 3. P.S. 083 Luis Munoz Rivera, Manhattan
• 4. Eagle Academy For Young Men Of Staten Island/I.S.49 Berta A. Dreyfus, Staten Island
• 5. P.S. 093 Albert G. Oliver, Bronx
• 6. P.S. 019 Marino Jeantet, Queens
• 7. P.S. 184 Shuang Wen, Manhattan
• 8. Woods Playground/P.S.335 Granville T. Woods, Brooklyn
• 9. Triboro Bridge Playground, Queens
• 10. P.S. 66, Brooklyn

"Thanks to all of our partners, the New York City Soccer Initiative is not only expanding access to physical activity in our city’s most historically underserved communities, but it is giving NYC youth the confidence and experience they need to thrive," Gabrielle Fialkoff, senior advisor to the mayor and director of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships, said in a statement.

Photo courtesy The City Of New York Office Of The Mayor