PARKS AND RECREATION

THERE’ S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT summer in a local park. The sounds of a ballfield coming to life in the morning. The smell of freshly cut grass. The

By Cort Jones sights of community members coming together in a space you helped shape. It’ s the kind of thing most people don’ t think twice about— but we know how much goes into this sometimes thankless work.

Every July, Park and Recreation Month( https:/ www. nrpa. org / events / july /) gives us a chance to slow down and recognize the people who make these everyday moments possible. An initiative of the National Recreation and Park Association( NRPA), this year’ s theme is,“ Build Together, Play Together,” and we are thrilled to celebrate.

Because parks and sports fields don’ t just appear— they’ re built by people who care deeply about community; people who show up every day to mow, rake, paint, patch, repair, reline, replant— and repeat. People like you.

If you manage sports fields, maintain parkland, facilitate programs or keep facilities running, this month is about you just as much as it is about the spaces themselves. Your work is the foundation; without it, there’ s no game, no practice, no gathering— just empty space.

But what’ s remarkable is how often that work goes unseen. And that’ s part of why Park and Recreation Month exists— to shine a light on the people behind the scenes, the folks doing the work that makes everything else possible.

That freshly groomed infield? You. That field striped just in time for a championship match? You. That complex built last fall that is now a centerpiece of the community? You helped make that happen, too.

WHAT“ BUILD TOGETHER, PLAY TOGETHER” REALLY MEANS“ Build Together, Play Together” isn’ t just about playgrounds, sports fields and recreation centers; it’ s about connection, collaboration and community.

Brighton Recreation Center, Brighton, Colorado. Photo provided by NRPA.

We build things with and for each other. When that’ s done right, people come back to play. That’ s when the real magic happens— neighbors become teammates, strangers become friends, and kids grow up remembering the places they felt free to be themselves.

The word“ together” is the key component. The best parks, programs and public spaces don’ t succeed in isolation. They thrive when maintenance staff, recreation leaders, planners,

34 SportsField Management | July 2025 sportsfieldmanagementonline. com