love.fútbol Launches Community Soccer Park at Conwell Middle Magnet School in Kensington
Philadelphia, PA
love.fútbol, in partnership with the Pincus Family Foundation, the School District of Philadelphia, and Kensington Soccer Club, has launched a new community-driven soccer park at Conwell Middle Magnet School on Thursday, 12 September.
love.fútbol specializes in partnering with underserved communities to plan, build, activate, and sustain their own recreational spaces and, as a result, strengthen their communities.
Rather than an end product, each project is a process in which in-depth community engagement and a critical focus on sustainability are integral.
In Kensington, a community at the epicenter of the opioid crisis, Conwell Middle Magnet School—recently ranked #1 (The Trace) in the nation for its proximity to gun crime—grapples with immense challenges.
Ahead of the launch, the love.fútbol-led 'Community Build Day' on September 7 welcomed 125 local volunteers to participate in construction and beautification efforts, transforming Conwell Middle Magnet School’s yard into a vibrant, safe space. This event demonstrated the power of community resilience as volunteers came together to support the school and its surrounding neighborhood.
On Thursday, 12 September, Conwell School proudly launched its new soccer park, marking a significant milestone for the community.
The event welcomed a host of distinguished guests, including members of the Philadelphia Host Committee and elected officials such as Councilperson Quetcy Lozada, Senator Anthony H. Williams, Councilmembers Isaiah Thomas, Mark Squilla, and Jim Harrity, as well as State Representative Jose Giral. The event was also honored to welcome Danielle Y. Scott from the Pincus Family Foundation.
Conwell School is part of an inspiring collaboration with Fiesta Schoolyards to transform the entire schoolyard into a safe, vibrant space for students, teachers, and residents.
At a love.fútbol community engagement meeting, local Kensington resident and parent of a Conwell 6th grader, Jessica Zeno, shared:
“We are so excited about the new schoolyard. We are bringing childhood back to this neighborhood.”
This initiative marks the fifth safe-space project completed by love.fútbol and the Pincus Family Foundation in Philadelphia and the first in the Kensington neighborhood. It also represents a significant milestone in launching the Philly Plays city-wide initiative, which aims to establish at least 15 additional community soccer parks by 2030.
Drew Chafetz, love.fútbol CEO and Co-Founder, shared:
“Conwell Magnet Middle School is at the heart of the Kensington community. We’re incredibly grateful to the school, community, and neighbors for their partnership and trust. They have been the driving force behind this project. Local ownership is the key ingredient to ensure that this space remains a safe and thriving environment for children to play and has a lasting impact for future generations.”
Principal Erica Green commented:
“I truly believe that the young people at CONWELL Middle Magnet School are valuable, resilient, kind, talented, and creative individuals who should be protected and deserve the best that the city of Philadelphia can offer. Our school is in a neighborhood where the folks have been forgotten and disenfranchised. We have the inherent right to maintain their innocence and optimism for the future. That is precisely what love.fútbol has done with the Pincus family foundation and Kensington Soccer Club by providing a vibrant place to learn, engage, and play soccer.
The community soccer park will also be a valuable resource beyond school hours, with afterschool and weekend programming led by the Kensington Soccer Club. The club is dedicated to teaching conflict resolution and emotional regulation skills as part of its mission to combat gun violence and promote positive development in the community.
Jim Hardy, from Kensington Soccer Club, added:
“Generations of children at Conwell school and in the surrounding neighborhood have grown up without adequate sports facilities or safe spaces to have fun in. Our mission at Kensington Soccer Club is to remove barriers to participation and provide robust youth development programs for children and communities. We're thrilled to finally be able to do that at Conwell! We'll forever be grateful to Love Fútbol for making that possible.”
