After two years playing on post-9/11 displacement fields in Chelsea and the Village, Downtown Soccer League teams will kick off their first games of the season on home turf this Saturday, September 13 at the new Battery Park City soccer fields.
An 11:30 opening ceremony will include speeches by team organizers, appearances by local politicians, and a party for players and their families.
League president Don Schuck said the league’s homecoming represents another important step in the neighborhood’s recovery.
Around 650 players make up 51 teams in the nine coed divisions of the Downtown Soccer League. This is about the same enrollment as before 9/11, he said.
“We’re looking forward to returning to the Battery Park City fields,” Schuck said. “Being back provides some sense of normalcy to the neighborhood again.”
The season runs until Nov. 23.
—Ashley Winchester
