Gambrel is a
Field of dreams

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

The past has been pretty good to the Frankford Chargers.
The football team’s 145-pound division won its third consecutive championship this season.
However, Frankford’s success isn’t limited solely to the gridiron. The youth cheerleading, basketball and baseball teams also have won multiple championships over the years.
But all of that is nothing compared to what will take shape in the future.
The site of all those victories, all those trophies, and all those memories is about to change.
And it’s going to be extreme.
Gambrel Field — home of the Chargers, Chiefs and Hawks — has been at Margaret and Ditman streets in Frankford since 1967. And over those four decades, it has taken quite a beating.
But now, thanks to Fox Sports and Pop Warner, Gambrel Field is getting a makeover.
"There’s going to be a new Astroturf, grandstands, game boards, and a new fence going around the entire field," said Dan Savage, the City Council member who helped initiate the project. "We’re hoping the whole thing is finished by August."
The creation of Frankford’s new sports site will be featured on a television pilot called Extreme Field Makeover. The new Fox series will showcase various rundown fields in dire need of renovations. The program will highlight the demolition, construction and result of these various rebuilding projects.
Vince Papale, whose late-’70s tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles was the focus of a theatrical movie last year, will host the show with Fox Sports Network reporter Laura Okmin.
"We’re mostly looking into areas that need some sort of redevelopment and are in tremendous need of some sort of good recreational facility," said Papale. "Basically we’re trying to do something where an entire community is benefiting. So everybody here in the Frankford area is going to be able to participate in what’s going on at Gambrel Field. It’s going to be pretty cool."
The pilot is scheduled to air on Fox around Labor Day. In the meantime, various community donations of effort and money are helping the Gambrel Field project become a reality.
Dan Murphy is among those eager to help.
"We think it’s a great cause and were excited to donate our time and efforts," said Murphy, of Ernest Bock Construction, one of the businesses that will work on the renovations. "It’s definitely worth getting involved to help out the community. We’ve all played little league football. And if we can give back to them and make a good field — well, that’s what it’s all about."
Actually, judging from the construction plans and the enthusiasm of those involved, residents should expect much more than a "good" field.
"We’ll be basically stripping the whole field, bringing the whole field back up with stone, and putting in a brand new turf football field," said Murphy. "They would like us to be completed by mid-August, so we’d like to start as soon as possible."
If all goes according to plan, the Chargers will break in the new gridiron on opening day of their season this fall.
"Everyone is very excited for the field," said Chargers coach Lorenzo Compton. "There’s no more grass, no more chalk. We’re going to be able to actually play on turf and have painted lines. We are very excited for the field, stands, new football posts . . . everything. It’s a dream come true to have this done."
About 300 athletes from the Frankford area use Gambrel Field for various sports activities. That’s 300 athletes who are eagerly awaiting the debut of a field to be proud of.
And they’re not the only ones.
"Everyone knows about this," said Archie Johnson, who played for the Charges from 1973 to 1978 and now coaches the 145-pound team. "The whole neighborhood is talking about it."
Gambrel Field has been a prominent part of the Frankford community for 40 years. The residents have grown to love the field and cherish their memories on it.
And now that it’s undergoing an extreme makeover, the field will be ready for new rivalries, victories and memories.
"We are very excited to have this experience," said Compton. "I can’t explain how happy everyone is that people care enough about the field and the community to make this happen for the kids." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com