Young athletes will now be able to play ball into the nighttime hours.
The Southeast Youth Athletic Association received grant money to install new lights for the multi-sport organization to enjoy sports after sunset.
It included a $68,751 Commonwealth Financing Authority grant, which was announced by state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler last year. Fiedler joined city officials, players and families from SEYAA, and representatives from Live! Casino and Hotel Philadelphia at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the fields at 7th Street and Packer Avenue on April 11.
“SEYAA is a multi-sport volunteer organization that has served kids from South Philly, and across the region, for over 25 years,” Fiedler said last year when the grant money was announced. “They reach more than 800 kids through their baseball programs. This investment will allow them to continue to meet the needs of the families that they serve, enabling extended programing beyond daylight hours to keep up with the growing size of their community leagues. This project represents an important pillar of their overall vision to modernize their fields, to ensure the children who participate in their programs have a safe and sustainable place to play.”
The ceremony celebrated the start of the baseball season and the accomplishment of the years-long effort to get new lighting, which will allow for more playing time after dark.
The Commonwealth Financing Authority was established in 2004 as an independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development to administer Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus packages. The CFA holds fiduciary responsibility over the funding of programs and investments in Pennsylvania’s economic growth.
