Intro to the playfields

"Our fields campaign is working. If you go to Silver Terrace, Garfield, Crocker-Amazon, or you go down to Franklin Park or South Sunset and the newest soccer fields at Beach Chalet, you’ll see the benefits of the private sector joining the public...not just the playfields themselves, but the infrastructure and lighting around it. This is happening in our city. This is extraordinary."

--Former Mayor Gavin Newsom

 

  • Renovation of San Francisco fields by the Playfields Initiative has provided 90,000 hours of additional playtime each year.


  • Since the Initiative began in 2006, more than 200 new youth sports teams have been formed in San Francisco and surrounding areas and more than 2,400 kids are now able to play ball each year.

 

  • The increase in playfield capacity has been especially significant for girls. After Title IX was passed in 1972, demand for field time for girls’ teams increased, but many of the fields were already booked with boys’ teams. As a result of the Initiative, 85 new girls’ soccer teams were created in San Francisco.


  • The Playfields Initiative prioritizes a safe, environmentally sound and sustainable approach to renovation. By replacing damaged grass with synthetic turf that does not require watering, the project saves 25 million gallons of water annually.


  • The new synthetic fields require no herbicides or pesticides and reduce the need for City maintenance by 75 percent.