The City of Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) has teamed up with Oakland Roots & Soul Sports Club (SC) to bring the first-ever ‘Town Nights Futsal Cup’ to community parks and public spaces across Oakland this summer.
‘Town Nights’ is a series of free community events hosted on Friday evenings during the summer. With a focus on fostering unity and strengthening neighborhood communities, Town Nights offers safe spaces for families, friends, and neighbors to come together and enjoy free food, music, games, and more. This year’s events are made possible by funding from the Alameda County Probation Department.
Thanks to support from the Oakland Roots & Soul Foundation, four sites will be running a small-sided soccer tournament for boys and girls ages 14-18 on June 14th, June 21st, June 28th, and July 12th in collaboration with local nonprofits Oakland Genesis, My Yute Soccer, Street Soccer USA, and Soccer Without Borders. Additionally, each site will simultaneously host soccer skills clinics for youth ages 3+ in partnership with the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO).
“We’re thrilled to be able to support the Town Nights initiative and the incredible work that goes on day in and day out around this city to provide opportunities for our youth” said Mike Geddes, Chief Purpose Officer of Oakland Roots & Soul SC. “We believe soccer can play a hugely important role in challenging the historical inequities that exist in access to sport and healthy physical activity in our communities.”
Oakland Roots & Soul SC will be on hand with competitions, clinics, ticket giveaways and player appearances as well as special prizes for the winning teams. Each ‘Town Nights Futsal Cup’ player will also receive a specially designed custom jersey, thanks to the club’s official apparel partner Charly.
The City of Oakland is working with trusted, local host agencies Trybe, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), East Oakland Boxing Association and Hoover-Foster Resident Action Committee to integrate the first Futsal Cup into Town Nights. At each location, priority will be given to youth in the local community.
Further information about the Town Nights Futsal Cup sites and contact information for team registration can be found at www.townnights.org.
Friday June 14th at San Antonio Park
Friday June 21st at Elmhurst Park
Friday June 28th at Hoover Elementary
Friday July 12th at Fruitvale Transit Village
About Town Nights:
Town Nights is a series of free community events hosted on Friday evenings during the summer months. With a focus on preventing violence and fostering unity, Town Nights offers safe spaces for families, friends, and neighbors to come together and enjoy free food, music, games, and more.
Town Nights is a community-driven, multi-generational community building and neighborhood strengthening strategy that involves four components:
- Outreach to community members to attend events
- Employment opportunities for residents who work at events
- Recreational activities and food available for free to all attendees
- Violence interruption dialogues facilitated by violence interrupters and community engagement teams that are intended to reduce future violence
About the Oakland Roots & Soul Foundation:
The Oakland Roots and Soul Foundation (ORASF) is a registered 501c (3) non-profit organization that works collaboratively with communities to enhance the health and wellbeing of every resident, working specifically at the intersections of race and gender justice and sports in Oakland.
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