North Phila. Aztecs dedicate new football field

Looking out on a pristine new football field in Philadelphia's Hunting Park, Jeremiah Berry seemed incredulous.

"This is awesome," Berry, vice president of the North Philadelphia Aztecs youth football program, said, shaking his head. "This is long overdue."

Berry and about 300 others were at Ninth Street and Hunting Park Avenue on Monday for the opening of Team Vick Field, a $1.4 million artificial-turf field with a sophisticated drainage system and an electronic scoreboard that will be the Aztecs' home.

"These kids deserve this," Berry said. "We're one of the best programs in the city, and we've never had a good field to play on."

The old field was in such poor condition that it was only used for practice. The Aztecs played their games at other fields, including at Edison and Olney High Schools.

Nevertheless, over the last 20 years the program has produced about 8,000 football players and cheerleaders ages 5 to 15, Berry said, and one championship squad, the 2004 Pop Warner Super Bowl winners.

"Who wouldn't want to play on this?" Berry asked. "Some mattresses aren't this soft."

The new field, built atop the old one, is the result of a partnership among the state, the city, the Fairmount Park Conservancy, the Eagles, quarterback Michael Vick's Team Vick Foundation, and others. Officials called the project "the capstone" of a $4 million overhaul of the park, including a renovated baseball field and other areas.

Leroy Fisher, a cofounder of the Aztecs, recalled that the area around the park had been plagued by prostitution and drug users over the years. He said he and other coaches had to pick up broken glass and debris before each practice.

"Imagine coming out and having large divots, or walking on the side of the field and sinking two feet in the mud," Fisher said. "The middle of the field was filled with rocks and glass and needles and syringes. . . . Now we don't have to worry about that."

Vick said he was honored to be part of the renovation. His foundation contributed $200,000 to the yearlong effort.

"This was an awesome project to be part of," Vick said. "From Day One, when I was asked about it, I was all in."

Among the notables at the dedication was former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, whose Jaws Youth Playbook foundation contributed to the project.

He recalled walking on a muddy, pockmarked field there only last year.

"To see this field now it almost brings tears to your eyes when you see what these kids have now and compare it to what they had," Jaworski said.

John Gattuso, president of the conservancy, said the field, which is also lined for soccer, would be the home turf for nearby Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls.

Also at the dedication were U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, City Council members Darrell L. Clarke and Maria Quiñones Sánchez, other city leaders, and more than 100 Aztecs players and cheerleaders.

Running back-linebacker Rafiq Miller, 11, who lives in the neighborhood, said he could now walk to the Aztecs' games.

"This is great," Rafiq said. "And we have the privilege to play here. All my friends will have someplace to go and we don't have to worry about going somewhere else anymore."