BRAWLEY — The City of Brawley, in partnership with the Brawley Police Department, hosted the opening ceremony for the inaugural season of MLS GO, Major League Soccer’s youth program, at Ed Soto Field.

The event marks the start of a new chapter for youth sports in the community.

MLS GO is designed to offer an inclusive, recreational soccer experience for boys and girls ages 4 to 13. The program promotes community engagement, physical activity, and values such as teamwork and sportsmanship.

The ceremony drew enthusiastic participation from local families, community leaders and law enforcement. Officers from the Brawley Police Department served as coaches and mentors, underscoring the department’s commitment to building positive relationships with youth through sports.

“This initiative is more than just about soccer; it’s about community, mentorship, and providing our youth with opportunities to grow and succeed,” said Police Chief Jimmy Duran in the press release. “We’re excited to see the positive impact this program will have on our city’s young residents.”

The City of Brawley and the Brawley Police Department encourage community members to support and participate in the MLS GO program.

For more information about registration and upcoming events, visit the Brawley Police Department’s official Instagram or Facebook page.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (May 22, 2025) – Fiesta Sports Foundation, in partnership with Salt River Project (SRP), held a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, May 21, at Family Promise of Greater Phoenix’s Legacy Village to officially unveil its 16th statewide playground build.

“Legacy Village is an innovative approach, transforming shipping containers into homes for families in need. Fiesta Sports Foundation is honored to contribute a vital element to this sanctuary,” said Kristina Chumpol, Fiesta Sports Foundation Chief Impact Officer and Chief of Staff. “Children residing here deserve spaces to simply be kids. The playground and sport court offer essential areas that support their health and well-being. We’re eager to witness the positive impact and grateful to our partners at SRP for making this vision a reality.”

Together, Fiesta Sports Foundation and SRP partnered to provide the new Legacy Village in Glendale with a 1,085 square foot playground featuring two slides. Along with the playground, a 640 square foot sport court with one adjustable basketball hoop was installed.

Flanked by six housing units – three to each side – the vibrant playground holds a prominent place in Legacy Village on a central courtyard seen as soon as stepping into the village. Fiesta Sports Foundation’s latest playground build is the first in a community housing complex such as Legacy Village.

In addition to being the 16th playground build by Fiesta Sports Foundation, it is the sixth in partnership with SRP and the second unveiled in 2025. In February, the two organizations collaborated to build a playground at Hope Women’s Center in Coolidge.

“At SRP, we’re proud to partner with the Fiesta Sports Foundation to help create safe, inclusive playspaces that nurture children’s physical, social and emotional development,” said Michelle Speer, Senior Community Engagement Strategist at SRP. “Supporting nonprofits that strengthen the well-being of our Arizona communities is at the heart of SRP’s mission.”

The ribbon-cutting for Fiesta Sports Foundation’s newest safe playspace followed the grand opening of Legacy Village on May 6.

Legacy Village is Family Promise of Greater Phoenix’s brand-new small-scale housing development. Operating for more than 25 years, Family Promise of Greater Phoenix provides emergency shelter and social services to help families move toward independent housing and self-sufficiency.

“Legacy Village represents hope for families facing homelessness, and this new playground adds joy to that hope,” said Ted Taylor, Executive Director of Family Promise of Greater Phoenix. “Thanks to Fiesta Sports Foundation and SRP, our residents now have a safe, vibrant space where children can play and families can build stronger bonds.”

Family Promise of Greater Phoenix operates five shelters to assist families facing homelessness. What makes Legacy Village unique is the six 640-square foot two-bedroom units themselves. The apartments were transformed from shipping containers that were engineering for housing.

Nestled in the heart of the highest eviction zip code in Arizona (85301 in Glendale), Legacy Village will serve a great impact to the community’s un-housed population. With the playground and sport court on-site, courtesy of Fiesta Sports Foundation and SRP, the youth will also have a brand-new space to play, providing a heightened optimism for their bright futures ahead.

ABOUT FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION

Since its inception in 1971, the Fiesta Sports Foundation has been a world-class community organization that executes innovative experiences, drives economic growth and champions charitable causes, inspiring pride in all Arizonans during and outside of college football bowl season. As a nonprofit organization, it is driven by its vision to create unforgettable experiences through world-class sporting events, unparalleled hospitality and life-changing community impact. Through the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Rate Bowl and its year-round events, including the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe, corporate partnerships and numerous community events throughout the year, the Foundation provides charitable resources to support Arizona nonprofit organizations that serve communities through a focus on youth, sports and education. Learn more at www.FiestaSportsFoundation.org and @Fiesta_Bowl on X/Instagram.

ABOUT SRP

SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest provider of electricity in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving more than 1 million customers. SRP is also the metropolitan area’s largest supplier of water, delivering about 750,000 acre-feet annually to municipal, urban and agricultural water users. To learn more, visit srpnet.com.

ABOUT FAMILY PROMISE OF GREATER PHOENIX

Family Promise of Greater Phoenix envisions a community where every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. The organization provides comprehensive solutions to family homelessness, including prevention, shelter, and stabilization services. Family Promise takes a holistic approach, supporting children with education and care, empowering parents to secure employment and housing, and even accommodating family pets to keep families together during challenging times. Learn more at FamilyPromiseAZ.org.

 

Gallery: (5-21-2025) Family Promise Playground & Sport Court

City Council explores field upgrades, lighting, and new park plans as sports participation outpaces facility capacity

PASO ROBLES — Paso Robles city officials are taking steps to address the growing demand for youth sports fields following a steady rise in participation over the past five years. In response to capacity and maintenance concerns raised by local sports organizations, the City Council is directing staff to explore both short- and long-term solutions to improve access and quality of sports facilities.

Following the March 4 City Council meeting, Recreation Services gathered feedback from local sports field user groups to better understand concerns about access, field conditions, and overall capacity. The outreach included both youth and adult organizations, with 19 groups — seven adult leagues and 12 youth leagues — serving a combined 3,220 members. Input was received from seven youth organizations and four adult groups, representing about 1,290 members who regularly reserve field space for various sports.

Input from organized user groups revealed two main issues: limited field capacity and poor facility conditions. 

Nine of the 11 responding groups operate year-round, emphasizing the need for lighted fields, especially in colder months. All soccer organizations expressed a strong preference for Barney Schwartz Park due to its superior field quality and amenities, while Sherwood Park was unanimously deemed the least favorable because of safety concerns like gopher holes and uneven ground. Respondents indicated they would collectively reserve an additional 49.5 hours per week if more field space were available, and up to 56.25 more hours weekly if Sherwood Park had lighting. Safety issues were also noted at Pioneer and Larry Moore parks, with further concerns raised about damage from adult play, overcrowding, and field misuse.

To address concerns about sports field capacity and maintenance, user groups recommended several improvements.Suggestions included installing lights at Sherwood Park to extend play hours, renovating fields at Sherwood and Larry Moore parks, and enhancing maintenance schedules — particularly at parks other than Barney Schwartz Park. They also proposed providing shared maintenance equipment, replacing natural turf at Barney Schwartz Park with synthetic turf or Bermuda grass to minimize closures, and adjusting reservation times, with youth groups starting earlier and adult groups later, to help ease scheduling conflicts.

Parents, coaches, and young athletes echoed these concerns and the need for field improvements during the Tuesday, May 20, City Council meeting.

Currently, the city manages 16 athletic fields shared among youth leagues, adult recreational leagues, school programs, and public use. However, following the 2026 season, the city will be losing access to the Pioneer Park baseball field since it has been sold to the Mid-State Fairgrounds. The loss of this field now means the city will need to add an additional five athletic fields to meet the 2024 National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) standards for outdoor park and recreation facilities.

In 1982, Councilman Fred Strong started the city’s first youth soccer program. Affiliated with the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), Strong purchased all of the soccer equipment himself and organized the teams. 

“I never even dreamed that it would grow this big,” Strong said. “But you can’t know how much this means to me. And there is nothing I wouldn’t do to support this program, as well as the youth baseball.”

City Council unanimously approved direction to staff to explore short-term strategies to address immediate sports field capacity and maintenance needs, including installing lights and renovating turf at Sherwood Park, and encouraging PRJUSD to include public youth sports fields in future plans for the 36th Street campus. They then unanimously approved to direct staff to implement long-term opportunities to meet the growing recreational needs of the community, including advancing the plans to develop Larry Moore Park, Beechwood Park, and a Master Park, Recreational Facility, and Trails Plan and to return to the City Council with all necessary items to facilitate this direction, including appropriate CEQA review for the aforementioned items. 

The next Paso Robles City Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3, at 6 p.m.

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CINCINNATI — The Bengals are calling for Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich to take back her comments questioning whether the team is negotiating with the county “in good faith.”

In a letter, Bengals in-house counsel Emma L. Compton said the team’s conduct over the last few years has “shown a clear commitment” to negotiating a long-term deal with the county despite Pillich questioning their efforts.

“Indeed, the team has never shown anything but good faith in its discussions with the county,” the letter says, citing the Bengals’ work with the county to construct the Brady Music Center, Black Music Walk of Fame and extend the deadline to acquire the Hilltop property next door as proof of its commitment.

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While Pillich did not use those words directly in the commissioner’s meeting or during a 1-on-1 with the WCPO 9 I-Team, she has criticized the slow pace of negotiations and the Bengals’ statements regarding lead negotiator David Abrams.

“Our interest is in what the team says at the negotiating table, not in the media,” Pillich said in a statement last week.

The county previously announced it was shuffling its lineup of lawyers handling lease negotiations with the Bengals and Reds. The decision came after Pillich urged county commissioners to replace Tom Gableman and Frost Brown Todd with attorneys from two other firms: Dinsmore and Vorys.

WATCH: County leaders, ousted lawyer discuss changing attorney amid lease negotiations with the Cincinnati Bengals

County shuffles lawyers on Bengals lease, The Banks development

In their letter, the Bengals say Gableman “has spent more time at the negotiating table with the team than anyone at the county” and confirmed they are working in good faith.

Gabelman released a lengthy statement on May 16 asserting “ongoing progress” toward a “comprehensive long term agreement” with the Bengals.

“Working with the County Prosecutor’s Office, we have been in active, daily negotiations with the Bengals regarding a comprehensive agreement and were ahead of schedule to complete a County-Bengals Term Sheet by the June 1, 2025, deadline,” Gabelman wrote.

But Pillich said last week she met with each of the county’s commissioners, who discussed their “frustration” with Gableman and their communication with their legal counsel. She told our WCPO 9 I-Team she believes the new team will advance negotiations — not slow them down.

“So as far as how the negotiations are going, I think we are … in a great, a very strong position to move forward,” Pillich said.

The team also says comments claiming the Bengals refuse to meet with the county’s outside consulting firm, Inner Circle Sports, are “plainly false.” The Bengals said team representatives have engaged with ICS “for several months,” but when the county recently asked ownership to meet with ICS, they denied the request “after the team discovered that ICS also served as a stadium consultant for the Cleveland Browns.”

Pillich said in an interview on “The Bill Cunningham Show” on 700WLW that the Bengals “may have been misled with their so-called research.” She said one former member of ICS has done work with the Browns but is no longer with the company.

“The man that we’re working with, David Abrams, has not done any work with the Cleveland Browns, but I do appreciate the Bengals trying to look out for us in their own way,” Pillich said.

During her interview with the I-Team and on WLW, Pillich reiterated that the county is intent on getting a deal done — one that will be best for Hamilton County.

“The Bengals can’t tell us who we hire to conduct the negotiations,” Pillich told us. “And the fact that we hired a bulldog to do it tells me that we did the right thing.”

We reached out to Pillich, who said, “I won’t trade barbs with the Bengals. Let’s just get the deal done.”

You can read the Bengals’ entire letter below:

(L-R) Wes Campbell, Maddie Keiserman, Karenna Elliot, Casey Dawson, with Emily Cook moderating, comprise the Athlete’s Panel at the Youth Sports Alliance’s Circle of Excelence Recognition Ceremony. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — The Youth Sports Alliance (YSA) held it’s annual Circle of Excellence recognition ceremony at the St. Mary’s Church on Sunday where being good athletes in the previous winter season had almost as much importance as being good people.

One quarter of families in the building and out on the hills are recipients of YSA need-based financial scholarships.

The seven clubs supported by YSA are Wasatch Luge, hockey’s Ice Miners, Speed Skating Club of Park City, Utah Olympic Park Bobsled and Skeleton Club, Figure Wasatch Freestyle, Figure Skating Club of Park City, and Park City Ski & Snowboard.

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Olympic medalists, collegiate competitors, jr. national, and national team member athlete panelists spoke about  relatable, realistic situations like overcoming injuries, feeling homesick when traveling, embracing off-season quality time, being the new kid in town, and acknowledging that being slowest on the team at some point in everyone’s sport journey is not a permanent placement.

The first award of the night was, just like most of them for the evening, a total surprise to the recipient. YSA Executive Director, and 2034 Utah Olympics Sports and Venues Committee member Emily Fisher successfully caught one of her co-emcees Ryan Walsh off guard with the Spirit of Service Award after his decade of volunteerism not only within the YSA as an annual announcer for this event, but also throughout the local sport community.

Next the Hall of Fame Inductee Award was presented to Park City native and 2018 Ski Jumping Olympian Abby Hughes Ringquist. 

Rinquist then handed the Leadership Award to Park City High School senior, and fellow ski jumper Seth Rothchild. She gave him a hug as the two have become friends via camps and comps at the Utah Olympic Park. 

The Sam Jackenthaul Showstopper of the Year Award was then given to an athlete in the sport making its Olympic debut in 2026, ski mountaineering (skimo). It recognizes an exceptional moment that left a lasting memory. Nominees included Jackson Crocket, Tory Hoffman, Sam Kirshner, Autumn Boyd, and Wyatt Osmundson.

Breakthrough Performance of the year is an award given to an individual who pushed personal limits. Dash Williams won the award and Luke Miller and Brooke Greenfield were both nominees.

YSA is nationally known for it’s afterschool programs of Get Out And Play (GOAP) and Active 8. As a testament to the overall sport culture Park City fosters, there were 25 first timer and exploring student-athlete’s nominated for the elementary schools’ award for the Core Values of sportsmanship, perseverance, optimism, respect, and teamwork. Nearly three-quarters of that age range of Parkites participated last year.

The Middle School Active 8 programming also had standout Core Values athletes John Bradley and Anna Reed there.

All-Star Awards call out the following athletes who attained significant results in regional competition.

The Champion Award highlights athletes who attained significant results in national and/or international competition.

Youth Olympic Games medalist Josie Johnson’s bio was profiled in the event’s program.

After the ceremony, the food truck dinners, and the opportunity drawing, people lined up to take pictures with their friends, family, and coaches.

The number of Olympic medals earned by YSA-connected athletes since the 2002 Games, which is when the nonprofit started, is 13.

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Philipsburg-Osceola’s Damarcus Law has been named The Progress’ male Athlete of the Week for the week ending May 17.

Law finished second in the 200-meter dash at the District 6 Track and Field Championships in Altoona with a time of 23.48. He was also third in the 100-meter in 11.30. He qualified in both events for the PIAA Class AA Track and Field Championships, which begin on Friday at Seth Grove Stadium in Shippensburg.

“Damarcus qualified for PIAA State Championships in two separate events,” said P-O track coach Tracy Vipond. “His time in the 200M dash of 23.01 broke the POHS all-time record.

“Damarcus is an excellent athlete, but he is equally excellent as kid.”