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Paterson coaches ask council to open Buckley Park for free recreational soccer; say they pay Clifton fees now
Summary
Three brothers who run a soccer academy urged the council April 8 to support recreational soccer in Paterson and asked for access to Buckley Park and other fields. They said they currently pay $200 an hour to rent fields in Clifton and run a free clinic for city children.
Three brothers who run a local soccer academy asked the Paterson Municipal Council on April 8 to allow use of city fields for a free recreational soccer program and to help link them with city departments that manage athletic spaces.
Jason, Alessandro and Kevin Chavez, who said they grew up in Paterson and now run a soccer academy, told the council they currently rent fields in Clifton — at about $200 per hour — to run practices and that many of the more than 200 participants come from Paterson. “We have kids in our academy that come here from the city of Paterson. They take buses, they take Ubers, they take taxis, just to go to the town that we're renting out a field in,” Jason Chavez told the council.
The brothers proposed using Buckley Park for a city recreational soccer program similar to programs in neighboring municipalities. Council members responded positively and urged the group to contact city departments. Economic Development and Public Works directors in the room indicated staff would coordinate with the group; council members specifically told the coaches to call the public-works director and said a staff member present would follow up.
Council members and the council president also said they want organized, free options for Paterson youth and discussed paying coaches and supplying equipment in the future so families are not charged to participate.
Next steps: coaches were directed to provide contact information and to coordinate directly with the Department of Public Works to identify available fields and scheduling. Director Ramirez (Public Works) said staff would follow up and that the department had field availability and could assist with arrangements.
