US Men’s National Team
vs. Azerbaijan
@ Candlestick Tue 5/27
Tickets for the opening match of the U.S. Men’s National Team’s Send-Off Series against Azerbaijan at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, on May 27 are on sale now!
Tickets can be purchased through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Bay Area.
Note: Tickets are not sold at Candlestick Park except on the day of the event.
Sensei times two judo students
After Labor Day, you’re invited to come see a class in action. Check it out! Just call first to make sure the class will be in session that day.
If you register, you’ll learn judo from a 30+ year veteran, USJF certified 5th degree black belt instructor sensei Bill Wong and make new friends!
Learn more about Sensei Wong on our judo page.
Girls and Boys ages 7 to 17 years
4:30 pm to 6:30 pm on Thursdays and Fridays – All Year Round (returning from summer break after Labor Day). Please call 415-401-4666 to confirm the class schedule!
San Francisco Police Activities League 350 Amber Drive, SF, CA 94131
$100 for first year, $70 every year after
Includes US Judo Federation registration, judo gi & white belt
The San Francisco Seals
John Halifax
John’s English accent makes him stand out when you first meet him. When you get to know him, his friendly can-do attitude is what you’ll remember him for.
That, and for being such a soccer fanatic!
John is passionate about serving in the community where he lives (in the Haight for the past 5 years, formerly in The Richmond). He has taken a “gap year” (a year off between high school and starting at Haverford College) to be of service in the sport he loves. We’re thrilled he is spending this time with SFPAL!
John started soccer when he was 3 years old and grew up in an English family passionate about the game. Now, he plays midfield on the San Francisco Seals Soccer Team! You should ask him about traveling to Spain for a tournament last summer and to Denmark and Sweden to play tournaments in the summer of 2011.
As the Assistant Coordinator of Soccer Programs here as SF PAL, he says that no question is too small! He is here to help you with anything from a frantic Saturday morning call asking “Where is my kid playing today?” to an email asking for an explanation of the rules about when a ball is considered out of play or even a Facebook comment asking for a high resolution copy of a photo of your kid practicing drills will her friends you saw on our web site.
Right now, he is focused on pre-season work, like working with Field Marshalls. Once the season starts in mid-March, he will be your “go to” person for all things soccer on the weekends.
Don’t be shy! Get to know him now. Say hello to John by emailing soccer@sfpal.org, on our Facebook page, and give him a call at 415-401-4666. He really does love hearing from you!
The San Francisco Police Activities League Seahawks Football & Cheer/Dance Program is getting ready the upcoming 2014 season! We need adult volunteers and we’re spreading the word that registration will open soon!
SFPAL Seahawks season begins in August at Western Addition Kimbell Field and goes through November. Games will be played around the Bay Area.
Please visit our web pages to sign up so that you’ll get more information about Football and for Cheer/Dance (including an email reminder of when to register).
#Donate2SFPAL
Do you know the thrill of having a friend pass you the ball or the laughter and high fives all around when your team pulls off a great play? What about the excitement of having a mentor tell you that your resume looks great? Have you called a huddle with your team and been able to tell them how proud you are or their hard work and collaboration, as their coach? Being part of a team makes a difference for everyone involved.
I’m asking for you to give even more San Francisco kids, volunteers and officers the positive experience of joining the SFPAL team by making your donation today.
November Basketball Jamboree kids, parents, volunteers, staff, officers – and there was cake!
Chief Greg Suhr at the Basketball Jamboree
By supporting young people, a lot changes in our community. “You can point right to the Chief’s philosophy: it is incredibly important that the police and San Francisco youth have positive interactions,” says Captain David Lazar, SFPAL board member (and former SFPAL kid).
“When kids see a squad car on the road, they are excited and friendly because the driver might be their basketball coach or the officer who helped them with their 3-point shot at a jamboree.”
Captain Lazar points out that many police officers have fond memories of mentors who helped them in their youth. He’d like more San Francisco kids to know the benefit of having a police officer as a mentor and to aspire to be officers themselves.
College Night for SFPAL Cadets
For example, PAL Law Enforcement Cadet Program students age 14–20 try life as a police officer through community service, leadership, rigorous physical training and year- round internships at stations across the city. Former Chief of Police Tony Ribera, PhD (a professor at University of San Francisco) hosts a college night for cadets and their families to explain the importance of higher education for a career in law enforcement or public service. This year, Chief Greg Suhr came to share his experience, as did Retired Captain Rick Bruce (SFPAL Board President) and SFPD PAL Cadet Coordinator Officer Edie Lewis.
Cadet Intern Ryan Prasadi said it was important that the event was so informative. “Many of the attendees were 15 or around that age, so this event was their first college experience. A lot of them were surprised: they weren’t very knowledgeable about USF or the programs they offer. Most cadets want to be police officers and a few want to be lawyers, yet they didn’t know there are many schools they could attend right here in San Francisco.”
Our SFPAL Law Enforcement Cadet Program is just one of many fabulous ways kids, volunteers and officers can all be part of the same team to make San Francisco a fun, safe, and just place to live. Thanks to the dedication of thousands of volunteer and staff coaches and mentors, we are able to expand registration for our traditional programs like soccer, basketball, Seahawks football, Junior Giants baseball, cheer and judo. We also in 2014 will take innovative new programs to the next stage such as: conditioning, special single-day events like basketball jamborees, as well as experiment with teaching forensics, communications and technology.
We serve kids from every school, every neighborhood and every block. And as always, we never turn anyone away for inability to pay. We hope to one day to be able to say we never turn anyone away at all. Right now, our programs are so popular and the need is so great that we don’t have enough spots for everyone who wants to join in.
Your donation makes the critical difference, helping us pay for another spot on our team!
Many thanks from the kids and all of us of San Francisco PAL.
Sincerely,
Lorraine Woodruff-Long
Executive Director
P.S. Please take a moment right now to donate – it is easy! You can charge your credit card, send a check in the enclosed envelope, donate online at SFPAL.org or call 415-401-4667.
We have a lot of great opportunities: soccer referee, conditioning coach, field marshal! Check out these job descriptions and please share them with your friends and family.
SOCCER REFEREEDo you love soccer and want to get out in the sun this spring? Find out more about becoming a referee for spring season March 15 – May 18, 2014 (Saturdays and some Sundays). Request more info about SFPAL soccer referee jobs.
CONDITIONING COACHOur new Western Addition conditioning program will help boys and girls of all sports improve their agility, skills, endurance and confidence. Thanks to a new grant, we will be significantly expanding over the next three years and are now hiring conditioning coaches. Do you have a passion for helping you to grow into the best they can be? Apply now! More about SFPAL Conditioning Coach jobs.
FIELD MARSHALWow! Is that you in the orange jacket helping the ref, Vanessa? “Of course I had a lot of fun,” laughs Vanessa Rosales. “I’d never been a ref, but I played soccer. I love getting to help, especially the new referees.”
She will definitely be a Field Marshal again and recommends it! Vanessa gets everything she needs from the SFPAL office so that she can focus on making sure the kids have fun. “SFPAL is a reason to get out on the weekends: I love soccer and the kids are thrilled to be playing. I like being at Mission Playground all day, meeting different people. There is a lot of energy!”
Everyone loves the Field Marshals so much that we’re making them a permanent program! We will be posting the application soon. More about SFPAL Field Marshal jobs.
During the past two years, we have piloted a Spring Conditioning Program on Friday evenings for boys and girls in the Western Addition. It is a huge success and now is expanding!
It provides healthy physical activities with positive adult role models for kids. One added bonus: it keeps kids and adult mentors from the fall Seahawks Football and Cheer program together throughout the year!
All soccer team coaches must hold a valid F-License. If you are a new coach, we are hosting three F-Clinics before spring soccer begins.
The F-license Clinic is a 2 step process:
Field session class size is limited to 15 coaches and registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Sign up today! More about SFPAL F-License Clinics.
We want to thank you for making sure San Francisco kids on every block and in every zip code benefit from the dedication of volunteer adult mentors and role models.
This special SFPAL 2013 Photo Recap is our thanks and tribute to you.
Please tag folks you want to honor and thank or share this with them!
Sign up your 7th or 8th grader for the Jamboree November 2
In five EASY steps you can register a 7th/8th grade basketball team of 3-5 boys or girls for the jamboree on Saturday, November 2nd at SOMA Recreation Center. Registration is on a first come, first served basis, so don’t wait! The deadline to get all materials in is this Friday, October 18. Sign up today! More about SFPAL basketball.
