By Tracy Zwick
A mini soccer field will be installed in Central Park’s Tavern on the Green parking lot in the weeks leading up to this summer’s U.S.-hosted World Cup, as detailed at a recent Community Board 7 Parks & Environment Committee meeting.
Ellyn Canfield, executive director of NYC World Cup Operations, described the 20-by-40-meter pitch, sized for 5-on-5 pickup-style soccer matches, during the meeting on May 18.
Canfield characterized the little-used parking lot in Central Park near West 67th Street as the perfect size for a mini pitch, noting that it won’t displace any current use of the area or impede access to the park or Tavern on the Green restaurant.
The parking lot, now mostly unused except during the week of the annual NYC Marathon, is “a remnant of when there were a lot more cars in the park,” the Central Park Conservancy’s David Saltonstall told the committee.
There will be no bleachers or concessions – just soccer, pure and simple. The plan is for the mini pitch to be open from June 11th through July 19th, the 39 days of the World Cup competition. The mini pitch’s hours will mirror the park’s: essentially from dawn to dusk. FIFA, the international soccer governing body, will pay for security and waste management for the site.
The space will be co-managed by Soccer Streets, a community organization involved in soccer all across NYC. “This is a community activation,” Canfield explained, so local soccer clubs as well as neighborhood youth and adults will all be invited to play. There will be structured blocks throughout the day, including skills clinics, demonstrations, and open play, with “some fully open hours” every day.
“There might be some fun surprises,” she added. “As teams go out of the World Cup,” local NYC communities “might see some activity from players from [eliminated] teams coming out for a clinic, for example,” she said.
Canfield did not provide a firm installation date for the mini pitch. She indicated it could be as late as June 4th or 6th, noting that the mini pitch is essentially pre-fabricated. “It comes together quickly,” she explained; “it’s not weeks of construction.”
A website with more information about the newest soccer space will be launched soon, Canfield said.
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Love this!
The lot should have been reclaimed as parkland a long time ago. Keep a driveway and drop off area, turn the rest GREEN.
Make it permanent!
New park feature: The Tavern Meadow
The best news is that spectators will only have to pay $800.
And will there, at least, be a free slice of cake given to everyone who shows up?
That’s kind of what I was thinking:(
Not fully accurate. First you apply to participate in a lottery (odds: 1 in 500,000) for the chance to have to pay only $800.
Good idea…I know someone in comments will have a problem with it though haha
When this is done make it a parking lot for all of the cars that were displaced by all of the bike parking and lanes. Feel free to charge money for the privilege of parking there. I’m guessing there are some people who live in the nearby buildings on CPW who would love to have their cars so close by and would pay well for the privilege (as long as they are OK with their cars being exposed to the elements – mon dieu!)
Figured I would mess with the car haters a bit. But throw them a bone by being reasonable and request money for the space.
you cant park there its just empty
Yes. I’m saying make it so you can park there. Paradise has already been paved. Put up the parking lot. To quote a great song.
Just make it a bigger football pitch
I’m actually a big soccer fan but this does not seem like a good use of resources. The article omits how much this will cost and who is paying for it. That is kind of important? All to do this for less than two months. I am excited about the World Cup but this doesn’t seem smart. Lots of other ways to build excitement that cost less. If this will become a permanent resource then I am a bit happier about it but to spend a lot of money building it just to tear it down seems dumb.
This should be permanently grassed in and turned into a field.
I played soccer with Pele right across from that spot in Sheep Meadow.
I kinda wanna hear more about this….go on:)