By Walter Elliott
NEWARK – Children may be literally getting a kick out of Newark’s latest soccer field here at the Marquis “Bo” Porter Sports Complex while you read this.
That field, open since July 6and found towards the rear of 378 Lyons Ave – or the former St. Peter’s Recreational Complex/Green Acres Park, will soon have two sisters in Belleville in the coming months.
Nine children, members of the Porter Summer Enrichment Camp, and a PDA Urban Initiative member of a similar age, gave 15 balls their first kick on the new turf field 11:41 a.m. Tuesday.
Their northward half-field kicks were made before an audience of 35: Mayor Ras Baraka, RWJBarnabas Health’s officials from Newark Beth Israel Medical Center & Children’s Hospital and Clara Maass Medical Center, the Players Development Academy and several media members.
Belleville Mayor Michael Melham and RWJBarnabas Clara Maass CEO Mary Ellen Cline were also present to what their joint soccer field project will look like when finished.
The nine were picked from the 50 enrichment camp members, ages seven through 13, who first visited the field minutes before the opening’s 11:30 a.m. scheduled start.
“I know that if I was a kid their age, I wouldn’t be going to a press conference on a summer’s day,” said Baraka. “I’d want to take a plunge in the pool, play on a basketball court on this first day of summer camp. They’ve been cooped up for 15 to 18 months – and now they’ll have a soccer field to play on.”
The now-RWJBarnabas Beth Israel Medical Center Field is the result of a collaboration among the city, PDA and both Beth Israel and its RWJBanabas Health parent.
“This is going to be more than a soccer field,” said Beth Israel President and CEO Darrell K. Terry, Sr., “There’s going to be education along with the health. We’re working with the city’s Department of Recreation, Cultural Affairs and Senior Services in having providing programs.”
Patrick Council, as the department’s deputy mayor, and Beth Israel’s Chief Equity Officer and Vice President Atiya Jaha Rashidi were present to field after-ceremony questions on that aspect of the collaboration.
The sport and education collaboration stands out from other public-private youth sponsorships – like the MLS New York Red Bulls and the NBA’s then-New Jersey Nets – where new or refurbished fields or courts were provided.
What educational and sports programs they come up with will be aligned with the aims of PDA’s Urban Initiative – whose director, Gerry McKeown, explained during and after the grand opening.
“Soccer in North America has become a field for upper-middle-class players,” said McKeon. “Although there’s less equipment than in other sports, most of the youth and traveling clubs charge tuition. We want to expose the sport to children who may not otherwise get it.”
PDA’s Urban Initiative, modifying a page from Major League Baseball’s Urban Youth Academy, targeted Newark among their first four fields to open. New Brunswick, Elizabeth and Paterson had their ribbons cut earlier this spring and summer.
“We were sitting around during the pandemic, figuring out how best to bring soccer to urban areas,” added McKeon. “We came up with the field design and a construction contractor. The field is built in 10 days; the leadup, depending on the bureaucracy, can be three to six months.”
PDA Urban Initiative’s field is a 70-by-40-foot rectangular fenced field with two fenced goal cages at opposite ends. The non-regulation field is designed to give children a taste of what the rest of the world calls football.
The fence has clean lines except for banners from RWJ Beth Israel and Nike – the latter a PDA sponsor.
The field’s size also explains why the original idea of having 50 enrichment campers kicking as many balls was pared down to nine.
Although neither Melham nor Cline stepped up to Baraka’s podium, they told inquiring media members that they are planning two PDA Urban Initiative fields in their township.
“I was watching what Newark Beth Israel, PDA and Newark were doing,” said Cline. “I provided the mayor (Melham) clippings of the other fields.”
“I looked at the clips and did some more homework,” added Melham. “We have a place for two fields. There will be legislation before the (township) council next week that would authorize the fields.”
Long Branch will be getting the last of PDA’s first set of Urban Initiative soccer fields. Other Urban Initiative field sites may be considered in the near future.
The former St. Peter’s baseball diamonds were first renamed after the former MLB Atlanta Braves player and Houston Astros manager Porter in 2016. The entire complex was eventually renamed after the Newark native.
