City of Escondido, Street Soccer USA and San Diego FC Open First Street Soccer USA Park at Washington Park in Escondido
Ribbon Cutting to take place at street soccer futsal courts February 3 at 1pm PT as part of Love Esco Day featuring music, food and San Diego FC’s Chrome Ball Tour Competition
ESCONDIDO, CALIF. (Jan. 29th, 2024) – The City of Escondido, in partnership with Street Soccer USA and San Diego FC, today announced the official opening of Street Soccer USA Park in Escondido, the first-of-its-kind soccer facility in the region. The newly created street soccer facility will host daily free play as well as year-round programming at no cost to the local community. The facility will be inaugurated as part of Love Esco Day, a celebration of community volunteerism in Escondido, with a special ribbon cutting ceremony and a “Chrome Ball Tour” soccer competition on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 1pm PT.
The new park facility highlights the City’s commitment of Street Soccer USA and San Diego FC to expand access to soccer and safe places to play across the city and the region. Thanks to strong community backing and support from the City of Escondido, Street Soccer Park will be a point of community pride and draw local residents together to get out and play.
Street Soccer Park will host its first community soccer event on Feb. 3 in conjunction with Love Esco Day and San Diego FC’s Chrome Ball Tour, a year-long community engagement platform that extends across the 18 cities of San Diego County. The Chrome Ball Tour community tournament will consist of 40 youth and adult teams across elite and open divisions, further demonstrating the excitement for a high-quality soccer play space in the city’s Washington Park. The Chrome Ball Tour stop will also feature live music, food and skateboard competition hosted by SK8MAFIA.
Street Soccer USA and San Diego FC will work with local community groups and the community at-large to develop a year-around neighborhood based free-to-play soccer initiative, weekly after-school programs, and seasonal festivals at the new courts.
“The City of Escondido is committed to providing community resources to encourage a fun and safe environment for extracurricular activities such as the futsal courts created by City Council with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds,” said Dane White, Mayor of Escondido. “We are thankful for our partnership with San Diego FC and Street Soccer USA to provide ongoing programming and support for the futsal Courts.”
“We are thrilled to see this first park of many come to fruition. With the World Cup coming to the US in 2026 and the commitment of partners like San Diego FC, we are thrilled to grow the game in Escondido and the San Diego region in the years to come,” said Rob Cann, Founder, Street Soccer USA.
“San Diego FC’s Chrome Ball Tour and opening of Street Soccer USA Park underscores our Club’s commitment to engage local San Diego communities and encourage soccer participation,” said Tom Penn, CEO, San Diego FC. “With great partners like Love Esco, Street Soccer USA and City of Escondido, we look forward to offering a free and safe space for the Escondido to come together and enjoy the beautiful game."
“I am very excited to bring the region’s first futsal courts to Washington Park in District 1 of the City of Escondido,” said Councilmember District 1, Consuelo Martinez. “This community asset will be a wonderful place for people to gather and enjoy the sport together. It is wonderful to see the community’s vision come to fruition.”
For additional information about San Diego FC Chrome Ball Tour please visit SanDiegoFC.com/chrome-ball-tour. A complete schedule of events for Love Esco Day is available at LoveEsco.org/day
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About Escondido
Incorporated in 1888, Escondido is a vibrant community that more than 150,000 residents call home. Escondido prides itself on its numerous prosperous businesses and a wide range of cultural, educational, healthcare, tourism, and recreation amenities, making Escondido the City of Choice.
About Love EscoIn the Spring of 2021, members of Escondido, CA based Emmanuel Faith Community Church were eager to reengage with their community after the turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic. Groups organized around local partners such as Interfaith, the City of Escondido, and the Escondido Union School District, to serve the community through projects such as cleaning local parks, caring for local teachers, and collecting laundry supplies, hygiene kits, and food for families in need. These acts of neighborly love, contagious generosity, and care for the place we call home, became the foundation for Love Esco. In less than four years of operation, they have mobilized 400 volunteers, accumulated 4,000 hours of service, and completed 25+ projects. While Love Esco originated from a local Escondido church, we continue to connect with local businesses, nonprofits, organizations, and other community members to “spread love and kindness to every corner of Escondido.”
About Street Soccer USA
Street Soccer USA is a national nonprofit that aims to fight poverty and strengthen communities through soccer. Founded in 2009, Street Soccer USA connects soccer skills to life skills, providing best-in-class, fun, and free soccer programming while helping participants cultivate positive relationships and find the resources needed to succeed. Through community soccer clubs, a sports for development curriculum, and academic and social services support, Street Soccer USA helps players and families discover their strengths, achieve their goals, and improve their future. For more information, visit www.streetsoccerusa.org.
Editor's Note: We have been dealing with Street Soccer USA for a number of years now, they are an amazing group.