I recently came across a story about the Elephant Soccer Club of Harlem and how they had been told to vacate a local park they have been using for 15 years. I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
I wasn’t familiar with the organization but the Elephant Soccer Club hosts training clinics for kids 3-18. The club was started by former player Adama Fofana, originally from the Ivory Coast, back in 2005. Morningside Park is the location where practices are held during the spring, summer and fall. Activities move inside during the winter months. The club’s philosophy as stated on its website is ‘One Game One Family.’
It was reported that on October 3rd, park rangers approached coach Adam Norse and issued him a summons for “unauthorized use of the field”. Keep in mind that the Elephant Soccer Club has been using the fields in Morningside Park for 15 years.
Club captain Joe Lupton believes that this sudden change is politically motivated. The Elephant’s staff had complained to the parks department about screws remaining scattered across the playing fields following an event held in the park. In the Post article Lupton stated, “Ever since we started complaining about the screws on the field, the positive relationship that had existed for 15 years began to get more antagonistic.”
The event in question is the Harlem Eat-Up food festival that takes place for two weeks every summer in the park. It does seem strange that the Elephant’s are being punished simply for asking to have a safe playing field for kids.
The soccer club is scheduled to meet with the Parks Department Oct. 19 to discuss use of the park’s fields. Meanwhile park’s department spokeswoman Crystal Howard issued the following statement,
Throughout the city, we prioritize youth play on our fields. We are working with the Elephant Soccer Club to find them a field built for soccer so their young strikers can run the pitch.
Lupton believes that the Elephant’s are being singled out and claims that other soccer teams use the fields freely.
The thing that makes this story so troubling is that the real losers are the kids. There’s not a lot of open green space for soccer to be played in the city; especially uptown. The fact that the kids of the Elephant Soccer Club are being booted because of politics is ridiculous.
Hey New York City Parks Department, cut it out and let the kids play!
