The Washington Commanders have agreed to keep The Fields at RFK Campus open during the construction of a possible new stadium, D.C. Council member Charles Allen said.
Community members said it was initially unclear whether the proposed plans to redevelop the site would enable them to remain open during construction of a new facility. But, Allen said, the Commanders have promised to put it in writing that the fields will remain open before and after a potential stadium would be built, during and throughout construction and on game days or during major events.
The back-and-forth comes as the council is scheduled to host public hearings on the proposed stadium project later this month.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Commanders had hoped an original vote on the stadium deal would happen by next week, but council members have been critical of the quick timeline. The franchise has said any delays in approval would result in challenges luring major events to the new stadium.
“The fact that it was at risk for being shut down for years was just ridiculous and silly,” Allen told WTOP’s Scott Gelman. “Very glad, though, that we’ve got that commitment and it’ll be in writing to protect the fields and keep them open.”
Jon Wadsworth, a coach for Capitol Hill recreation league Soccer on the Hill, said the Fields at RFK are the “best athletic facility this city has.”
They host football teams, soccer, baseball, lacrosse and field hockey teams, he said, and there are adult teams that use the facilities after kids do.
“Every sports league is begging to get some time there,” Wadsworth said. “We’re stacked up like cordwood. Believe me, they are the most used facility in this city, and the mere thought of losing them was torturous.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the mayor said “during initial negotiations with the Washington Commanders, Mayor Bowser fought for and won their commitment to preserve the Fields at RFK.”
But Allen said the proposal lacked specifics about what would happen during construction and whether it would remain open on game days.
Wadsworth said the fields are essential because the space is lit up.
“They draw from all over the city,” Wadsworth said. “There are baseball games being held by schools from up in the northern part of the city. Kids come across from Anacostia to play there.”
Allen, meanwhile, said the Commanders told him the agreement to keep the fields open would be included in the written deal the council still has to approve.
[A petition Allen posted](https://x.com/CMCharlesAllen/status/1943294915057799680) with a call to keep the fields operating got about 3,000 signatures in two weeks, he said.
“It shows when we know what we’ve got to fight for, the community is going to come together and make sure we get the job done,” Allen said.
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