Next month, SF Rec and Parks and the San Francisco Parks Alliance are hosting free public viewing parties for some of the final 2018 FIFA World Cup games.
Sue Bierman Park will be set up for public screening parties during the semifinal matches on Tuesday, July 10 and Wednesday, July 11 at 11:00am, and the final match will be shown at Civic Center Plaza on Sunday, July 15 at 8:00am.
Along with a view of the game, events will offer soccer activities for kids, a mobile rock climbing wall, lawn games and food trucks. That week, America SCORES Bay Area will also host soccer camps at Civic Center Plaza.
According to Rec and Parks, the department hosts 1,000 youth soccer teams across the city and runs more than 90 soccer classes and camps throughout the year. More than 15,000 kids take part in the department’s soccer programs each year, and participants are eligible for scholarships from the city.
The World Cup public screenings started in 2006 when Jens-Peter Jungclaussen, founder of TeacherBus, booked Dolores Park for a screening of the final game that year.
Rec and Parks said 10,000 people showed up to Jungclaussen’s first event and he's had a hand in planning the city’s World Cup viewing parties since then.
Interim Mayor Mark Farrell secured some of the funds for these free public screenings in his former role as District 2 Supervisor.
Other sponsors include KTVU FOX 2, Boston Properties, San Francisco Youth Soccer, Yours in Soccer Foundation, 150 Van Ness, Civic Center Commons Initiative, Recology, Shorenstein, Sports Basement, and America SCORES Bay Area.
