Coaches and parents confront off-leash dog owners at Brooklyn ballfield over damaged turf

Coaches, parents and neighbors confronted dog owners at Green Central Knoll park in Bushwick on Saturday, saying off-leash animals have damaged the ballfield and left feces that force youth teams to clean the turf before games.

The confrontation, organized as a “get-our-fields-back” event, brought families and pint-sized players to the three-acre park as tensions boiled over between sports supporters and dog owners who regularly enter the field through a torn hole in the perimeter fence despite posted “no pets” signs. Coaches say some dog owners reacted angrily and, in one exchange, threatened violence.

Parents and sports organizers described repeated problems with dogs digging holes in the turf and leaving waste that makes the surface slippery and unsafe for children in cleats. One coach told the dog owners at the demonstration that a pit bull had bitten one of the team’s children; a dog owner replied, “I bite, too. You want to see it?” according to participants.

Local youth groups said the damage and hazards have forced some teams, including a girls’ softball squad, to stop using the field. Children as young as 6 return from practices with urine-soaked backpacks and dirty cleats, parents said, and some players are now afraid of dogs after an unrelated spring biting incident at another Brooklyn park.

“I’m unable to play right away,” said DJ Carlito, a Bushwick native who helped organize Saturday’s event. “We’re losing kids to the streets. The little things that we have that can keep them off the streets are being taken away from them.”

Residents said the park’s perimeter fence has been ripped open for months and is repeatedly pushed aside to allow dogs onto the field. Some dog owners acknowledged paying fines — which can reach up to $150 — to use the space, and one man who gave only his first name, Brennan, said the borough’s official dog run at Maria Hernandez Park is “under-maintained and gross.”

Pablo Rivera, executive director of Bushwick Sports and Recreation, pointed to holes that organizers say were filled only recently. Community Board Chair Robert Camacho said he and other residents oppose allocating any of the ballfield for a dog run. “We’re not giving them half of this park, no way,” Camacho said.

Councilwoman Jen Gutierrez said her office is in active talks with the Parks Department about options that include adding a dog run at Green Central Knoll or strengthening the turf to better withstand mixed use. Gutierrez also urged the formation of a local “Friends of Green Central Knoll” group to coordinate community involvement with Parks.

A Parks Department representative said the agency plans to repair the torn fence and will continue daily patrols to enforce park rules. Officials also said they are evaluating perimeter improvements to prevent unauthorized entry.

Some residents worry the problem has spread: Camacho said bold dog owners recently began cutting holes in the fence at the soccer field in Maria Hernandez Park, which already has an official dog run, and that enforcement alone has not ended the incursions. Organizers and parents pressing for permanent repairs and stronger fencing suggested wrought-iron options that cannot be easily torn open.

The dispute highlights competing demands on limited urban green space, where sports programs and dog owners often vie for the same facilities. For now, youth sports groups and community leaders say they will continue to press the city to secure the field and restore it as a safe place for children’s recreation.