NFL/LISC GRASSROOTS PROGRAM AND NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS GRANT $250,000 FOR NEW SYNTHETIC TURF FIELD AT DUGGAN PARK IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

Award is part of $3 million in new grants to athletic fields nationwide

Duggan Park, in Springfield, Mass., will get a new synthetic turf field, lighting and bleachers thanks in part to a $250,000 grant by the New England Patriots through the National Football League (NFL) Foundation Grassroots Program.

The grant from the Patriots, the NFL Foundation and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to the Springfield Public Schools is part of the second round of $3 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year.

The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program – a partnership between the NFL Foundation and LISC, the nation’s leading community development support organization – has supported the construction or renovation of 376 football fields nationwide since 1998. During that time, the NFL Foundation has granted nearly $61 million to revitalize playing fields in underserved neighborhoods. Fields are newly built or significantly renovated, with improvements such as irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts and turf. Grassroots grants are issued once established funding thresholds are reached for each project.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to bring a new, state-of-the-art football field to Springfield,” said Andre Tippett, the Patriots executive director of community affairs. “We would like to thank the NFL Foundation and LISC for their shared commitment to youth football. This new field will benefit thousands of youth in the Springfield area for years to come.”

LISC identifies local, nonprofit, community-based agencies that have an interest in building or refurbishing football fields in schools and neighborhood parks. Through the program, local agencies are provided with the necessary financing and technical assistance to improve the quality and safety of fields in their communities. The agencies oversee the construction, maintenance and programming of the fields.

Karen Kelleher, executive director of LISC Boston, highlighted the opportunity this investment brings to Springfield residents: “We are delighted this field will be a resource for the students of nearby Duggan Academy and for students and community athletics programs throughout the city. The renovation of Duggan Park and the entire sports complex is an incredible opportunity to create green space and facilities for recreation and community health.”

“”LISC is proud to continue our partnership with the Patriots and the NFL Foundation which enables us to make this investment, with Springfield public schools and the city of Springfield,” Karen continued. “The field at Duggan Park will be the eleventh field in Massachusetts that LISC, the Patriots and the NFL Foundation have funded through the Grassroots program.”