Neighborhood Spotlight: Canal Street Mini-Field

Hey Footy Family,

Chinatown is one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in New York City for so many reasons. One of them that you might not be aware of is that it's home to a ton of soccer fields, a string of which are all within the same 5 blocks of each other and where NYC Footy happens to hosts both games and Better Player practices nearly every day of the week. So if you live downtown, or it's an easy bike ride over the bridge for you, or just want to start playing soccer in one of the most energetic neighborhoods in New York, you should definitely check out the the Canal Street Mini and Footy's many fields in Chinatown.

Up next: Canal Street Mini Field

The Field: 

The Canal Street Mini Field is a part of the Sara D. Roosevelt Park, a long park that runs down Chrystie St. This field is the furthest South in the park, a stones throw from the the Manhattan bridge.

Although the title says ‘Mini’, there's plenty of space for regular sized 6v6 soccer games. As is true with most fields inside of the Sara D. Roosevelt Park, the Canal Street Field is covered in new, clean turf with a small running track that encircles the area.

The field looks absolutely beautiful during the day when the sun shines down on it. It is one of the most New York feelings to be playing soccer inside of a serene park, flanked by tall trees, while at the same time being situated right inside all of the hustle and bustle of both Canal St and the Manhattan Bridge. 

The Neighborhood:

169 Bar: The even eclectic and inviting 169 Bar is a dive that has been around for over 100 years in downtown New York City. Throughout all that, it's retained a fun, casual atmosphere where you can go, hang out with friends underneath a mermaid and a taxidermy T-Rex head. They've got all of what you could want in terms fo drinks, outdoor space, a smattering of quick and easy bar food, and a pool table to boot.

Clandestino: A low key bar with dim lights that makes one of the best Pimm's Cups in the city. Just a two block walk from the field, this is a great choice for you and your team as it's got a wonderful, casual atmosphere, outdoor space in the front of the bar, and plenty of bites (cheese), beers, and cocktails to choose from.

Apotheke: This downstairs cocktail bar is by no means your typical after game saloon, but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least bring it up. They have truly amazing cocktails as well as very kind and knowledgable staff. If you do go, maybe after a change of clothes and a quick shower, look for a bartender named Nik and ask him about his time as a soccer player on the Sarah Lawrence soccer team. You'll be treated to some excellent stories and will have made a friend for the evening to boot.

Rochelle's: Rochelle's is a whiskey bar just a little ways up Chrystie street. Given the fact that there are 4 or 5 soccer fields within five blocks of the bar, you can usually find one or two other teams hanging out there and is a great way to meet players from other teams, even if they're not from Footy. The bar has a really nice large space, tall windows that open up to let in the cool summer air, and plenty of choice libations to go around.

To cap it off, there are a nearly infinite number of bars and Dim Sum restaurants to try in the area around the field as well as a shockingly high number of ice cream parlors, of which I'd recommend the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. If you don't like what you see above, take your time and explore!

Fun Fact: Manhattan's Chinatown is one of nine different Chinatown's within the city of New York and has the largest Chinese American population (nearly 600,000) in the country.

Train: The closest station to the field is the Grand St stop, where the B and D trains top. Following that is the Bowery stop, where the J and Z trains stop and at East Broadway, you can find the F train. If none of these work for you, nearly every single line stops along Canal St. which runs right into the field and makes commuting from anywhere fairly simple. 

Bike: If you’re biking to the field, there is a bike path that runs right up into the field, the same one that extends into Brooklyn over the Manhattan Bridge. There are also a number of Citibike stations on either side of the park. 

Bus: If you prefer the bus, both the M15 and the M21 stop at the North end of the park, so all you have to do is get off at the E Houston/Forsyth St stop and then walk to the South end of the park.  

Thanks for listening.

- James

Get Kicking!

As always, we'd love any feedback you have about the fields, how to get there, or any hidden gems in the area. We promise to keep your secrets safe within our email blasts.