Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam remembers visiting the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, during the 1994 FIFA World Cup with his family. There was a little World Cup village set up outside the stadium for those who couldn’t afford tickets.
“We used to go on weekends and hang out there, and that's when I fell in love with soccer,” Arulampalam said. “I wanted that to be an experience that Hartford families had.”
While World Cup games aren’t taking place in Connecticut, the city of Hartford is launching an initiative called Summer of Soccer. It's a series of free viewings and watch parties across the city for the various games that are happening across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
Three key locations are playing host to these watch parties:
- Trinity Health Stadium with the Hartford Athletic, the professional soccer club
- Parkville Market, a food hall in the Parkville neighborhood on the west side of Hartford
- Pratt Street, a one-block quasi-pedestrian mall in downtown Hartford
All three locations will host the first Team USA game against Paraguay on Friday, June 12 at 9 p.m. They will also host the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19 at 2 p.m.
Pratt Street will host Team USA soccer watch parties throughout the rest of the tournament. These watch parties are open to the public. Soccer fans can expect music, pregame festivities, and a family-friendly atmosphere.
Parkville Market will have all matches playing during their hours of operation.
Arulampalam said restaurants and bars all over the city will also be activated as fan home bases for different teams, so fans will have a place to go no matter what country they root for.
“We're hoping that with this World Cup, it helps to highlight the broad array of diverse cuisines and cultures that we have here, and also just brings us together as people,” Arulampalam said. “I think we're strongest when we lean into our diversity. At this time, when so much is going wrong in the nation, I believe that Hartford can be the antidote.”
The Summer of Soccer match schedule will be updated with locations in the coming weeks, Arulampalam said.
Connect with Hartford’s soccer scene
Parkville Market is kicking off the World Cup on Thursday, June 11. The food hall has team flags hanging off its bannisters, specials from its 22 restaurants and three bars, and a small soccer pitch with green turf outside the establishment.
“You can eat around the world at Parkville Market,” said Ashley McHugh, Parkville Market’s director of events. “So the world's games, and you can eat around the world, it's like a match made in heaven.”
People can watch the match inside on the giant TV, McHugh said, or on a screen outdoors. They’ll show all the games televised on Telemundo, she said.
Throughout the summer, McHugh said, Parkville Market will have giveaways, prizes, face painting, and a 360-degree photo booth.
Anyone who brings a soccer ball can enjoy the soccer pitch outside before, during, or after the matches, McHugh said. There may even be some prize giveaways for scoring goals, she said.
“[Parkville Market] is really just a place where everyone comes together,” McHugh said. “I feel like we have a lot of soccer enthusiasts, so we want people to be together while they watch.”
That’s what Kenniel Martin loves about the sport.
“You can go somewhere, whether it's a bar or a restaurant, [and meet] perfect strangers,” Martin said. “By the end of the game, you feel like you're a family.”
Martin is founder and executive director of the Hartford Lions Soccer Academy (HLSA), a youth development nonprofit organization.
HLSA is a community partner of the Summer of Soccer initiative. Part of the initiative is to help soccer fans not only connect with each other but with local soccer groups.
“We [at HLSA] use soccer as a tool to connect with kids, families, and with the communities,” Martin said. “It's not just a soccer organization.”
For those who want to see soccer beyond the screen, Martin said the public is welcome to attend HLSA’s annual community soccer showcase on June 20.
The Hartford Fire Department will play against the Hartford Police Department, along with a community all-stars team and a corporate all-stars team, bringing community and local organizations together for some friendly competition.
Whether it’s the World Cup or a local match, Martin said watching soccer with others allows soccer fans to cheer together, for the soccer-curious to learn more about the sport, and for children to fall in love with the game.
“Once you witness it and experience it, then you know exactly what I'm talking about,” Martin said, “and I think the Summer of Soccer will pull this off this summer.”
Learn more
The Summer of Soccer website has a schedule with locations in Hartford where matches will be played. Local businesses can reach out through the contact form on the home page to be part of the initiative.
Parkville Market will provide updates on special activities during the matches through their website and social media.
The Hartford Lions Soccer Academy has more information about upcoming events on its website. Register for the Annual CommUnity Soccer Showcase on Saturday, June 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Trinity Health Stadium here.
