[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by allovertown

Please feel free share a current map. Whyy just posted this one recently. Regardless of if it's 12 soccer fields or 8, no other sport is being dedicated even a fraction of the space as the soccer fields. it's very clear the insane number of soccer fields they're building is to satisfy the world cup and not to serve the citizens who use the park.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone playing soccer at FDR. And while I get there aren't soccer nets at FDR currently, whenever I walk by Marconi plaza up the street people are ALWAYS playing soccer. And there's not a proper soccer field at Marconi! They just use shirts to indicate where the goal posts are. Same thing for the field by 4th and Washington. Always playing soccer and I don't think there are nets there. The fields by South and 10th I'm pretty sure has a legit soccer field and it's always being used.

Why does basically every open plot of grass in South Philly regularly have people playing soccer on it, but never fdr where there is so much open space? Maybe because it's a secluded park distant from much of the population of South Philly? If they put up a nice soccer field in fdr, I'm sure people will travel to it but do you really think people will stop playing soccer at the green spaces located right in the middle of their communities? How much of a draw would a nicer field really be? How many are going to leave their neighborhoods, take the subway all the way south and then walk a mile to a soccer field in fdr? Some certainly will, but 12 soccer fields worth of people? Lol get real. At any given moment 3/4 of these soccer fields will be empty.

Fdr is huge, there is plenty of room for a large meadow that is at least as big as the one they're destroying at the airport so that people can enjoy nature and hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians who live in areas that flood will get some relief. And there's plenty of room for tons of sports fields of all types. There should absolutely be a soccer field or two at fdr. Hell, go nuts, build half a dozen. But 12 is absurd. Get real.

It's kind of ironic how you're portraying the people who disagree with you as petulant children considering the tone of your posts. I'll have to look into joining the friends of fdr Park. It's clear they need some people who will look out for the needs of the community instead of rolling over to suit wealthy special interests like the world cup.

Looking up the FDR Park Plans I found a FAQ with some answers

https://myphillypark.org/explore/parks/fdr-park/faqs/

A Gateway Plaza that will serve as a welcoming entrance for park users at the corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue.
The park’s first-ever Welcome Center with much-needed amenities, including public restrooms, concessions, equipment rentals, and a staffed information desk.
A 15-acre Great Lawn on the east side of Meadow Lake
8 acres of playspaces
36 picnic tables & 12 pavilions
Franklin 5K loop trail
12 multi-purpose fields
6 baseball/softball fields
10 tennis courts
8 basketball courts

Initial goals called for 19 multi-purpose fields. We came up with a compromise. The 12 athletic fields became a reasonable balance for FDR Park between activity, water and nature, while still increasing much-needed access to high-quality fields. In addition, operational revenue from the fields will support ongoing maintenance, staffing, and upkeep for FDR Park in the long-term.

There is NO stadium coming to FDR Park. The official World Cup matches will take place in Lincoln Financial Field. Several options are currently being considered to use as a temporary training site for a 2 – 8 week period during the 2026 World Cup, including 2 of the 12 multi-purpose fields planned for FDR Park. In return, Philadelphians get financial support to build these much-needed, already-planned fields that directly benefit generations of kids in our City. Whether or not FDR Park is selected as a temporary training site will not impact the Plan and amenities promised, including the construction of these fields. However it is our hope that in being selected we’ll gain funding momentum, working with Philadelphia Soccer 2026, and help propel more pieces of the project