New York City opens overnight soccer fields during World Cup run

New York has opened staffed soccer fields overnight in every borough, with free pickup games running from 10:30 p.m. to as late as 8 a.m.

The program, NYC Open Play, launched June 12 and runs through July 18 at one field each in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island. The sites are Hudson River Park’s Chelsea Waterside in Manhattan, Astoria Park in Queens, Calvert Vaux Park in Brooklyn, Soundview Park in the Bronx and Fairview Park on Staten Island. Each location can host up to three 7v7 pickup pitches, and the fields are staffed with organizers, security personnel and Parks Enforcement Patrol officers.

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani rolled out the initiative with New York City FC, NYC Footy, NYC Parks and the Hudson River Park Trust. StubHub is sponsoring the free summer soccer programming, and New York City FC is also supporting weekend clinics and giveaways.

In Sheffield, where matches in North America can land as late as 3 a.m. in the UK, organizers with AGN Events Ltd have proposed a Fan City setup on Devonshire Green that would keep bars open until midnight on England and Scotland match nights and until 11 p.m. for other games, while extending music later into the night.

On July 2, Sheffield City Council said if England reach the quarter-finals, Fan City will return to Devonshire Green and screen all remaining international matches except the second quarter-final, which kicks off at 2 a.m.

Devonshire Green has already been used as a fan park for major tournaments, including the UEFA Women’s Euros in 2022, and AGN Events previously staged fan-zone events there for Women’s Euro 2022 and Euro 2024. AGN Events said the Euro 2024 Fan City drew about 4,000 fans.

Steve Wood of Sheffield Home of Football backed the plan as a way for supporters of different clubs to share a live experience, and Nick Simmonite, chairman of Unight and landlord of the Frog and Parrot, said any city-centre activity helps bring people in. Naomi Saxton of Broomhall opposed the proposal, citing worries about noise, antisocial behavior and possible violence.