About The Randall's Island Sports Foundation
RISF’s signature facility on Randall’s Island, Icahn Stadium, was opened on April 23, 2005. The Stadium, a world-class track & field facility, is capable of hosting local, regional and national events.
Currently, over 60 new and improved sports playing fields are under development and will vastly increase the amount of playing time available for New York City children. Click here for more information on the sportsfields.
On June 30, 2009, the new Tennis Center, operated by Sportstime, was unveiled. The Tennis Center is a world-class facility with 20 courts; it is the largest and finest tennis facility to open in NYC in the past 30 years.
RISF also completed the restoration of the Little Hell Gate salt marsh and freshwater wetlands in spring 2008. The $5 million project restored 8-acres of Randall’s Islands salt marsh and wetlands and is now improving water quality and providing wildlife habitat. A new boardwalk just adjacent to Icahn Stadium leads to the Little Hell Gate Inlet and also connects to roughly a mile of visible and accessible pedestrian and bicycle trails between the Inlet and the 103rd Street Footbridge from Manhattan, with interpretive signage and increased access to waterfront resources and current and future Park facilities.
Upcoming
projects include a Visitors/Nature Center, additional pathway sections, and extensive environmental restoration. Programming at Randall’s Island includes visits by Cirque du Soleil and an annual
summer concert series.
RISF also runs its free youth programs at the Park. Working in partnership with local public schools and community-based organizations in Harlem and the South Bronx, RIK brings thousands of children to the Park each year for a range of free sports and environmental education activities. These programs will continue to grow in terms both of capacity and complexity as new recreational, athletic and environmental facilities are developed.
RISF’s Management, Restoration & Development Plan is being carried out through a carefully calibrated balance of individual, corporate and foundation philanthropy and public funding, alongside private investment in facilities planned to generate much-needed revenue toward Park maintenance. The Foundation is a model for urban renewal and revitalization as it works on the most important new recreational resource in New York City.