107ist president Scott Van Swearingen speaks

When the 107ist was formed in 2009, one of the first things to come out of it was a desire, or some say a mandate, for the Timbers Army to build, restore, and maintain soccer pitches throughout the Portland area.  From that mission Operation Pitch Invasion (OPI) was born.

And, what started as a group of dedicated volunteers armed only with shovels and work gloves, reached its highest point yet on Saturday, June 14th when Operation Pitch Invasion held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Bless Field in North Portland’s New Columbia neighborhood. In three short years, OPI went from replacing sprinkler heads to successfully completing its first capital project.

OPI’s beginnings were humble, but their aspirations were not. The original four member board received a $2,000 grant from the 107ist in order to purchase some hand tools and other supplies. From there, they began working with Portland Parks and Rec to find soccer fields that needed work.

Over the course of a given summer OPI would round up anywhere from 30 to 50 Timbers Army members, and they’d descend onto a pitch in disrepair, and do work. The work ranged from filling in holes to replacing sprinkler heads to repainting goal posts.

But the desire was always to lead bigger, more impactful project. So from day one the group was looking for the right opportunity. And, they found it in the form of Bless Field (named after early TA member Hartmut “Howie” Bless). The goal was to raise $200,000 to build an all-weather soccer pitch in Portland’s most diverse neighborhood, New Columbia.

While the Timbers Army was the single largest contributor (donating $50,000), what really made this project special was the way the entire community came together. OPI needed to work with numerous public and private entities to not only raise the funds, but also work its way through the red tape that any project of this scale entails.

When it was all said and done they had assembled a formidable group of partners including the Portland Timbers, Providence Health and Services, Adidas, Home Forward, The City of Portland, the Portland Development Commission, Widmer, Rosa Parks Elementary, AC Portland and the Boys and Girls Club. But, it wasn’t just the ‘big names’ who helped make Bless Field a reality. Individuals took up the cause and did everything from stuffing a few bucks in a jar to creating special scarf runs.

Anyone who’s been around the TA longer than a minute knows that the group is not without its squabbles and conflicts. But it’s also widely known that when push comes to shove, we pull together.

 

Neighborhood kids gather to kick the ball around

On Saturday over 200 people gathered at the new field, and while city commissioners and CEO’s gave heartfelt speeches about what this project means to the City of Portland we watched over our shoulders as dozens of children from different cultures played a game that unifies us all. Their laughter and cheers often drowning out the PA.

This is why we do what we do: Team, Town, TA.

Thanks to Olivia Schelly of Yah Yah Photography for the images from this weekend.