PORTLAND, Ore. – As part of the Fields For All partnership between the Portland Timbers’ community initiative Stand Together and Operation Pitch Invasion (OPI), SNAKE Court at Vance Park was unveiled today in Gresham’s Rockwood neighborhood.
The Fields For All partnership’s first project, SNAKE Court at Vance Park is a pair of new futsal courts in the Rockwood neighborhood that will support local youth programs, encourage children to live a healthy, active lifestyle and signifies the strong commitment the Timbers, OPI and fans have to supporting the surrounding community. Timbers owner and chief executive officer Merritt Paulson, president of business operations Mike Golub, and players Liam Ridgewell and Diego Valeri took part in the dedication ceremony along with OPI members Shawn Levy and Josh Barrett, Gresham mayor Shane Bemis, city officials and sponsors.
SNAKE Court is an acronym that stands for Sports, Neighborhood, Action, Knowledge and Empowerment. Nearly all of the project’s $100,000 costs were covered by Fields for All and generous community sponsors adidas, JELD-WEN Windows & Doors, KeyBank, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Providence Health & Services, Ross Electric and a partnership between Let’s Play, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Active Children Portland and KaBOOM!. Construction of the two courts took about six weeks, from start to finish. For now, play on the courts will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fields For All aims to identify 'recreation deserts' – communities underserved by recreational activities for kids – and fill them with safe, healthy and high-quality playing surfaces. Its work will focus on areas with open community access and neighborhood support. In addition, Fields For All targets locations in close proximity to schools, youth clubs and recreation centers, providing ongoing programming to support organized and structured play for local area youth.
Stand Together is the Timbers’ community outreach platform. The team is committed to furthering its community mission to harness the power of sport to improve the lives of children and families in the region through targeted programs, deep partnerships and philanthropic giving. For more information on the Timbers community outreach programs and partners, visit timbers.com/stand-together.
OPI is a local, grassroots organization that builds, revitalizes and maintains soccer fields and futsal courts throughout the Portland metro area so that players of all ages and skill levels have high quality and safe playing surfaces to enjoy the beautiful game. OPI is an Oregon 501(c)(3) corporation. For more information visit www.pitch-invasion.org.
Let’s Play is an initiative launched in 2011 by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to provide the tools, places and inspiration to make play a daily priority. By 2017, DPS will provide nearly 10 million children across North America with new opportunities to play and be active through Let’s Play. In partnership with the nonprofit organizations KaBOOM! and Good Sports, Let’s Play is working to eliminate the ‘play deficit’ by building and improving play spaces and providing grants for athletic equipment and gear. For more information, please visit LetsPlay.com or Facebook.com/LetsPlay.
