“We are out of room.” – Jon Wadsworth, Volunteer Leader with Sports on the Hill 

DC Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) has introduced two bills that will expand recreation center hours into Sundays and make more DC taxpayer-funded playing fields available to youth sports leagues.

“DC residents are active people. We like to run, play, and get out of the house. However our rec centers don’t open on Sundays and many of our outdoor fields are overcrowded with multiple teams crammed onto one field while other fields sit unused behind locked gates,” Councilmember Allen said.

“The importance of these amenities to DC residents should not be dismissed lightly. The youth sports league experience are where lifelong friendships are made and where our kids learn the value of teamwork. Neighbors meet and become friends on the basketball court and young people find safe spaces and positive programs in our rec centers. But if youth sports leagues become endlessly frustrating or the doors to the rec center are locked when most people are available, we are missing a fundamental part of enjoying living in the District.”

Councilmember Allen is reintroducing the Department of Parks and Recreation Hours Expansion Amendment Act of 2025 to expand morning, evening, and weekend hours for DC Park and Recreation facilities to reflect when more DC residents can go – including young people who have fewer options on the weekend. After the bill was introduced last Council period, DPR proactively expanded its Saturday hours in a move Councilmember Allen applauded. The bill is co-introduced by Councilmembers Matt Frumin, Kenyan R. McDuffie, Brian Nadeau, Robert White, Brooke Pinto, and Trayon White.

Councilmember Allen is also reintroducing the Department of Parks and Recreation Field Priority Access Amendment Act of 2025 to help solve a problem facing youth sports leagues: a shortage of playing fields available after school and on weekends. The bill would give youth sports leagues serving District residents that do not limit participation based on ability priority for permits to access DPR and DCPS fields. The bill was introduced last year and was discussed at a Council roundtable on Nov. 13, 2024. This bill is co-introduced by Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau, Zachery Parker, Brooke Pinto, and Robert White.

During that roundtable, Jon Wadsworth, a volunteer who helps run Sports on the Hill, a youth sports league serving more than 1,000 kids a year at all ages and abilities, testified: “With younger kids, we have five or six teams on a field for a practice. They’re not playing soccer. You can get some exercise, but they don’t play soccer. It affects games. In 20 years of coaching, I’ve never had a full field scrimmage. We’re out of room.”