Can you help with a support letter?

Because

EVERY San Francisco kid deserves a place to play ball!

Your coaches, your players, their families and you yourself know better than anyone about the difficulties posed by  San Francisco ’s overwhelmed athletic field system.  We’ve all watched games played on hard-packed dirt checkered with gopher holes, every league in the City has cancelled games due to rain, and we’ve all experienced the disappointment of turning players away for lack of field space.

Together, we’ve made great strides in improving fields and expanding capacity over the past few years by renovating fields at Crocker Amazon, Silver Terrace, South Sunset and Garfield Square .  Now we have the chance to take another big step forward by renovating the Beach Chalet soccer fields. But we won’t get there without your help.

We need four things from you today:
·         A letter from your league
·         100-200 letters from your players and their families
·         Photos with the letters
·         Facebook Fans

1. Download, sign, and send the support letter below to us TODAY! Cut and paste the text provided below onto league letterhead and email it to us at: outreach@cityfieldsfoundation.org.  These letters are incredibly important.  We’re collecting them so we can present a large packet to the Rec/Park Commission when the project is up for approval.

2. Forward this Email to your Database of Coaches, Players and Parents TODAY! City Hall also wants to hear from the regular folks playing on the fields.  We need 100-200 letters from kids, parents, athletes, coaches, teachers, principals and anyone else who uses the fields.  Be sure to have them sent directly to outreach@cityfieldsfoundation.org so we can bundle them and present en masse to the Commission.  We’re counting on you to muscle up our collective power.

3. Send Photos Too! A picture speaks a thousand words so send photos of you and your team using the City’s synthetic turf fields or documenting the poor condition of other fields.  We won’t use these photos on our website or anywhere else.
4. Lastly, go online and join our Facebook Group!

This isn’t the last time you will hear from us — we’ll be asking you to join us at a meeting about the project and at a Rec/Park Commission hearing this summer to approve the project.  We’ll be asking you to bring a couple of dozen players, parents and coaches to help make the case for more fields.  Please start talking with your players and families now, so they’re up-to-date on the possibility, the vision, and the role they can play.

I can’t emphasize enough your importance in this process.  Without your full and strong support, Beach Chalet will not happen.  But if every league steps up to the plate, you will be playing on a newly renovated field at Beach Chalet by the end of next year.  Please give me a call with any questions – 415/837-5403.

Thanks!
Patrick Hannan, City Fields Foundation

P.S. Click here for more information on the City Fields Foundation Playfields Initiative and to watch our brand new video, “Our Fields In Action”.

Commissioner Jim Lazarus
President
San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission
501 Stanyan Street
San Francisco , CA 94117

Dear Commissioner Lazarus,

I believe that all San Francisco kids deserve safe, accessible and world-class parks and athletic fields. I support the proposed renovation at Beach Chalet soccer fields and encourage you to continue supporting the Playfields Initiative partnership between the City Fields Foundation and San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department.

By installing synthetic turf and lights, more than 9,500 hours of new play time will be added to the Beach Chalet soccer fields, essentially resolving San Francisco ’s deficit of athletic fields for youth during the busy after-school hours.

I urge the Recreation and Parks Commission, the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, and the entire city family to support this partnership so that every child in our city has a place to play and enjoy the wonder of sport.

Sincerely,

Name
Team and League
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