From Rio to Philly: More Than A Place To Play
In 2015, while living in Rio de Janeiro, my dear friend—and sport-for-development legend—Lex Chalat introduced me to a Brazilian named Mano Silva from love.fútbol. I was familiar with love.fútbol’s work but had never spent time with anyone from the team.
After just ten minutes of sitting with Mano at a Copacabana Quiosque, it was clear he lived and breathed community-driven soccer. That same week, I joined Mano, Lex, and Angela Woods from ESPN at the inauguration of the Morro Dos Macacos safe play space—the first love.fútbol collaboration with ESPN.
I was blown away by the level of community engagement love.fútbol had orchestrated ahead of the inauguration. Meeting Mano and understanding his and co-founder Drew Chafetz’s vision made one thing evident—this wasn’t just about building a field; it was about empowering communities. It was the start of a great friendship.
The following year, my wife Lisa and I moved to New York, and I began to get to know Drew. Our paths crossed often at sport-for-development events as love.fútbol continued to grow. I always valued our conversations about balancing impact, stakeholders, and maintaining a truly community-driven approach.
Since then, my organization, The Sports Creative, has collaborated with love.fútbol to deliver programming in Valle de Chalco, Mexico; La Romana and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic; and Philadelphia in the United States.
In 2024, I was honored to join the love.fútbol team to lead Philly Plays—an initiative in partnership with the Pincus Family Foundation that will transform access to safe play spaces across Philadelphia.
I have come to see love.fútbol as one of the most forward-thinking and proven impact leaders in the sport-for-good sector. Their commitment to communities, strategic collaborations, strong relationships with brands and foundations, and diverse global teams make them truly unique.
That’s why leading Philly Plays is such an exciting opportunity. love.fútbol doesn’t just build play spaces—they build movements.
This initiative embodies that vision. We launched in the Kensington Corridor in 2024, starting with Conwell Magnet Middle School—a school tragically identified as having the highest level of gun crime in close proximity of any school in the nation.
Before love.fútbol
As one parent told us: “We are scared for our children to walk three blocks just to play.” That’s why, in spring 2025, we will break ground at Hissey Playground—less than a mile from Conwell—to reclaim that space from the opioid crisis and return it to the community. Every child deserves a safe place to play.
As a sixth-grade parent shared: “Through these projects, we are bringing childhood back to the neighborhood.”
After love.fútbol
Developed in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Kensington Soccer Club, and Street Soccer USA, these spaces will not only provide safe play areas but will serve as critical interventions in gun violence prevention.
And we’re just getting started. With Philadelphia hosting six FIFA World Cup matches in 2026, we have a unique opportunity to showcase this city-wide initiative. By 2030, Philly Plays will have established at least 16 soccer parks, cementing love.fútbol’s leadership in sustainable, community-driven play.
I am honored to lead this work and collaborate with incredible partners, local leaders, and communities. Together, we are not just building soccer spaces—we are building a movement.
#PhillyPlays #lovefútbol #CommunityDrivenPlay