As of 3/14, we have filled all of the teams for children ages 5 to 7. We still have plenty of space for older children, ages 8 to 11 (and we’ll include any children who will turn 8 by the end of May) – visit our Youth Soccer page to register online or to download a registration form. Please email clarkparksoccer@yahoo.com with any questions.
Registration is now open for the Spring season of Clark Park Youth Soccer, Friends of Clark Park’s popular family-friendly program for children ages 5 to 11. The season will begin on Saturday, March 25th and continue every Saturday until May 20th. Clark Park Youth Soccer is a low-cost, volunteer-run program that introduces children to the game of soccer in a non-competitive environment that encourages participation of children of all abilities.
Full information about the program and links to registration forms are available on our Youth Soccer page, or by contacting clarkparksoccer@yahoo.com . Support from local organizations and business keep the registration costs for the program low, but for families with financial need we also have “soccership” funds, available thanks to generous donations made in memory of Paul Brooks, the founder of the program.
Winnie Harris organizing the volunteers at the 2017 MLK Service Day — spreading the Christmas Tree mulch in Clark Park!
After giving thanks and getting deals, it’s time to give back! #GivingTuesday is the day to make a difference in your community. And what better way to do that than to make a gift to the Friends of Clark Park? Clark Park reaches the heart and soul of our community, connects us and empowers us to act locally – and the Friends support the park with maintenance, improvements and advocacy. This Tuesday, consider joining and making a financial donation to the Friends of Clark Park. Your contribution will go toward new benches, tree care, garden improvements, and tireless advocacy for West Philadelphia’s most engagingly active green space.
Starting Monday, the Central Plaza of the North Park (“A Park”) will be under construction for two related projects: installing long-awaited permanent chess tables to replace the ratty units the players now employ; & restoring the layer of stone fines (gravel) that now covers the plaza, which was installed in 2009 & has worn thin.
Your FRIENDS OF CLARK PARK membership dollars at work! A rough estimate of the cost is $15,000.
This is in addition to the soil-restoration project in the Parks on Tap beergarden area near 44th St. That’s coming out of the money the beergarden made for Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Dept.
For further updates on park-improvement needs & plans, come to Monday’s public General Membership Mtg. tomorrow, Monday evening, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Griffith Hall, USciences, 43rd St. & Kingsessing Mall. Attendance is free & open to all.
Any questions? Call Tony West at (267) 456-5687.
Walk-in registration for Clark Park Youth Soccer will take place on Saturday, September 24th, from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm, in Rosenberger Hall (the brick building on 43rd Street near the basketball court. Those registering in person on Saturday can pay by cash or check; we cannot accept credit/debit card payments.
At this time, our 5-6 and 6-7 age groups are nearly full; there is plenty of room still for children ages 8 to 11!
Please see our Soccer web page for registration links, and for more information about the program, or email clarkparksoccer@yahoo.com .
A message from our friends at the Philadelphia Parks Alliance —
Tomorrow (5/25/16), Philadelphia City Council is holding important committee votes on budget revenue plans, which could fund more than $300 million in capital funding for parks, recreation centers, and libraries. This would be the largest direct investment in our community infrastructure in the history of our city. To fund this landmark initiative, along with sweeping expansions of Pre-K, the creation of new community schools, and the reduction of pension debt, Mayor Kenney has proposed a $0.03 per ounce tax on sugar sweetened beverages–to date the only proposal which fully funds all of these initiatives. We need your voice at City Hall NOW to help get the sugar drink tax passed.
YES, I CAN BE AT CITY COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY 5/25 AT 1PM
YES, I WILL CONTACT MY MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
Even West Philly Bernie Sanders fans can get behind one of Hillary Clinton’s ideas!
Hillary Clinton has announced she is “very supportive” of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposed Sugary Drinks Tax as the best way to rebuild the city’s bedraggled parks & recreation centers, as well as toget pre-K services for all young children.
The Democratic Presidential frontrunner told a packed forum in Philadelphia Wednesday evening: “I’m very supportive of the Mayor’s proposal to tax soda. I mean, we need universal pre-school. And if that’s a way to do it, that’s how we should do it.”
“This is major step forward for all Philadelphians who believe that we must invest in our children and in our neighborhoods, and we appreciate Secretary Clinton’s support for the plan to expand pre-K services throughout the city,” said Kevin Feeley, spokesman for Philadelphians for a Fair Future, the coalition of more than 50 citywide organizations supporting the proposed tax to fund investments in pre-K, community schools, & revitalized recreation centers, parks & libraries. “Her support helps the public understand that there is a critical need for these investments, and the proposed Sugary Drinks Tax is the fairest and most effective way to pay for them.”
The Sugary Drinks Tax is a means to pay for a bond issue that will lead to a $500 million investment to restore parks & education all across Philadelphia. It means jobs. It means families. It means growth. It means boosting real-estate values. It’s huge. We need it now.
FRIENDS OF CLARK PARK solidly backs this creative public policy & urges all park-lovers to let City Council know they demand it. It’s time we ended a lifetime of neglect for Philadelphia’s precious green spaces! We’ve been cheated before; enough is enough.
Philadelphians for a Fair Future represents a growing coalition of organizations from all walks of life in Philadelphia, including: Public Citizens for Children and Youth; the Philadelphia Parks Alliance; the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers; Education Voters of Pennsylvania; the Service Employees International Union; Center for Popular Democracy; the Alliance of Community Service Providers; the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children; Men United for a Better Philadelphia; Ceiba; Action United; Aspira; the Center for Science in the Public Interest; FOP Lodge 5; Firefighters Local 22; District Councils 33 and 47, AFSCME; Youth United for Change; and multiple community-development corporations and small-business owners from throughout the city.
The coalition’s activities are focused on raising public awareness about the importance of the Mayor’s budget investments and the need to enact the Sugary Drinks Tax as the only fair way to pay for them.
Because of the rain, today’s soccer sessions are cancelled, but we will still be doing walk-in registration and t-shirt pick up from 10:00 to 12:30 in Rosenberger Hall. Please note that teams for ages 5-7 are completely full; we are only accepting registration for children ages 8 to 11.