Browns help break ground at Gunning Park

08.25.2008

Browns President Mike Keenan, wide receiver Steve Sanders and a handful of other Browns officials were on hand Monday morning for the groundbreaking ceremony for a new youth football field at Gunning Park on Cleveland's west side.

The football field will be constructed, in part, with a $100,000 grant awarded through the NFL Grassroots Program, which got the Browns and the NFL involved in the process that culminated with Monday morning's ceremony, which also featured Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.

Sanders is a graduate of East High and started his football career in the Cleveland Muni League, which will use the new field when it is completed next year.

"For the Browns, it's kind of leaving a legacy," Keenan said. "We feel fortunate to be here in Cleveland and by using resources here to give back and help develop this in the community, we feel we're taking part in something special. Maybe the next Steve Sanders will come out of this field."

Watch ClevelandBrowns.com's news report on the event here.

The ceremony marked the official start of the refurbishment of the football field at the Gunning Park Recreation Center, which sits on 13.5 acres of land and also contains an indoor pool, sun deck, two tennis courts, two ball fields and a playground.

Cleveland-based steel distributor Majestic Steel also made a generous financial contribution to the Gunning Park Football Field Refurbishment Project.

"This will be a big addition for a lot of kids and something that will be put to good use for a long time," said Ed Suggs, the Browns' director of youth development. "Right now 95 teams in the Cleveland Muni league need facilities like this, and there are plans to expand that number above 95 when this field is done.

"It's a very positive thing for the kids, the Browns and the city."

The new field will replace two makeshift fields that are now in the outfields of two existing baseball diamonds. The field will be graded and crowned, and an irrigation system will be installed. The field will be seeded in September and allowed to grow for one year to become fully established and ready for use by September 2009.

The project also includes two sets of bleachers for spectators and a new parking lot for the senior citizens who use the center.

Parkworks Inc., with the assistance of LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), was awarded this grant to refurbish the Gunning Park Football Field.