On Tuesday, Boston Scores, a youth development program that focuses on soccer, poetry, and service learning, and the Salesian Boys & Girls Club invited members of the community, elected officials, and more to celebrate the opening of its new field dubbed, Boston Scores Field, at Salesian Heights. According to a brief describing the ceremony, the field opening and ribbon cutting “caps off” a $17.5 million campaign “to build a world-class recreation and education campus in East Boston.”
Moreover, the brief indicates that the entire project not only includes the multi-field soccer facility but also contains a mini-pitch for soccer and basketball, along with classroom and office space renovations. To kick off the festivities, Mike Triant, Executive Director of the Salesian Boys & Girls Club, highlighted the partnership between the Salesian Boys & Girls Club and Boston Scores, which made the field possible. “It is community partnerships that allow communities and community-based organizations to truly flourish and thrive,” said Triant.
Gabriela Coletta Zapata presented Chief Developing
Officer for Boston Scores Andrew Crossley and Executive
Director of the Salesian Boys and Girls Club, Mike Triant a
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Citation from the House
of Representatives.
“The common mission of Salesian Boys & Girls Club and Boston Scores has been evident over the last three and a half years, and all the hard work that’s gone into making this project come to fruition.” Following Triant’s words, Andy Crossley, Boston Scores’ Chief Development Officer, delivered a message on behalf of the organization’s Executive Director, John Maconga, who could not attend due to an illness.
Before he read Maconga’s statement, Crossley emphasized how integral Maconga was in bringing the project to life. “These fields and the community gardens in the back and the new classroom spaces – these are his passion projects, and there’s nobody who is worked harder to bring this to reality than John Maconga.” In the statement read on his behalf, Maconga expressed his gratefulness to be trusted with revitalizing the area. Further, he described how fun it was to design the field and thanked the Boston Scores staff and Board, partners like the Salesian Boys & Girls Club, the New England Revolution, and more. The New Balance Foundation was also highlighted as a massive help as Crossley read: “In a really pivotal moment in this project, they gave us the support and encouragement and the moment to get this over the finish line.” As the ceremony continued, several speakers, such as Brian Bilello, President of the New England Revolution, and State Representative Adrian Madaro, shared their excitement for the field’s official opening. Bilello, who has served on Boston Scores’ Board, congratulated the organization and its staff and talked about the field helping to expand the Revolution’s partnership with Boston Scores through new programming.
Madaro, who described himself as a “club kid” talked about coming down to the area when he was younger to play pick-up football with friends and how thrilling it is for the site to be reactivated. “We are honoring the legacy of this field with new partners, with new players, a new generation of youth,” he said.
“I think this is just a tremendously exciting moment and milestone for this community and what it represents for the history of East Boston.” To close out the event, Vincent Phan, Boston Scores Poet-Athlete of the Year, performed an original poem for those in attendance and received a round of applause before the ribbon was cut and Boston Scores Field officially opened. “It’s an incredible time to be involved with soccer, and we really hope this space becomes an epicenter for excitement about soccer in the community,” said Crossley.