The Philadelphia World Cup: Kenney's plan to unite a city

It started with an idea.

“Jim Kenney was elected on a Tuesday I think it was and I got an email to go see him that Thursday,” said Bill Salvatore from the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department. “It was a very generic email. I didn't know what I was coming down for. Should I wear a suit? The Mayor’s Office doesn’t just email you and asks you to stop by for a visit. ‘No, just come down, it’s casual. He has a lot of ideas.’ And that was that.”

Salvatore is the leadership and organizational development manager for Parks and Rec. He’s been tasked to work alongside the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) to create a city-wide soccer cup. The tournament will feature teams representing the cultures and countries of Philadelphia’s immigrant communities. Think: A “Philadelphia International Cup.”

“That’s just the tentative name for it,” said Salvatore. “We are still working on hammering a lot of details and the name is one of them.”

Mayor Kenney said his hope is the tournament will highlight Philadelphia’s diversity and bring together neighborhoods. It has always been a dream of his, he said.

“The Germans from Cannstatter in the Northeast playing the Mexicans in South Philly playing the Ghanaians of Southwest and so on,” Kenney said. “When you bring people together around one commonality, it’s the foundation for important cultural exchange and understanding that increases tolerance across the city.”

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