ROGERS PARK — Despite chilly weather Wednesday, Officer Brooke Finneke was determined to get the Rogers Park District's new youth soccer league up and running.
"You can't live life saying you've never tried soccer," Finneke said, looking out at the roughly 20 neighborhood kids running on Pottawattomie Park's turf. "This is just the perfect job for me."
The district is offering both dance and soccer through the free program, which is expected to run through May 27.
The leagues are the real deal, Finneke said, and meant to not only strengthen relationships between kids in the neighborhood who might not know each other — but help "close the gap" between community members, especially young ones, and the police.
It's also in response to sweeping budget cuts that have wiped out many sports programs at neighborhood schools, including several in the Rogers Park and West Ridge communities where most of the police league players come from.
Finneke said it was her goal to humanize police on the Far North Side, so parents and children would feel comfortable coming to officers for help, not fear them.
"We want to close the gap, for people to see us not just as officers — I'm a mom, a person, a human," Finneke said. "I want them to know they can open up to us about other issues, like, 'Ok, I'm a female, you're a female, we can talk about this issue.'"
The program is open to roughly sixth- through eighth-graders, and team members practice once a week from 4-6 p.m. Wednesdays, with games Mondays and Fridays.
Participants are assigned to teams, will be given uniforms and eventually will work toward a round of playoff games that result in one winning team.
At the end of the day, though, Finneke said most players who show a commitment to the season should walk away with some sort of prize, like a trophy, certificate or pizza party, she said.
Similarly, Finneke is leading a dance team once a week from 5-6 p.m. at Schreiber Park.
Students from several nearby neighborhood schools, many who had never met one another, convened to play a friendly game of soccer Wednesday afternoon. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
A long-time athlete, sports enthusiast and person who enjoys working out, Finneke said she was picked to lead the district's Police Athletic League because of her passion around kids.
She runs the league, which is still in its beginning stages, with the help of a few fellow officers and volunteers from Loyola University, who serve as goalies and coaches.
Finneke herself is mother to a 4-year-old daughter, and as her daughter grows, Finneke said she's learning the importance of getting to know other parents as well — an ideal she's hoping the youth leagues will help anchor.
"When she's old, you know if she's out hanging with the wrong crowd or something, I would want another parent to tell me that," Finneke said. "We want to help steer and correct some of the small things we see early on before an arrest happens, we want to build relationships with the parents and have them build them with each other."
Earlier in her career, Finneke said she'd often stop by Gale Elementary and shoot hoops with locals, something she enjoyed and wanted to keep going in other parts of the neighborhood.
"Even people I knew were gang members, and they knew I knew, we could still talk, it didn't matter — we could talk about everything but police and it was fine," she said.
Finneke makes sure a boy passing through the park stays for a quick game (which he does). [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Ultimately, it's important for people in the community to see police officers doing outreach, Finneke said.
Brooke Mayden, a parent of two Hayt Elementary students who were playing soccer for the first time at Wednesday's practice, agreed.
Mayden said even at ages 9 and 12, her kids watch the news and are "super aware of issues minority groups are facing."
"They ask me questions all the time about what's going on," Mayden said. "So, I think it's important to show police as a positive role model."
Marvin Jimenez, a 17-year-old junior from Chicago Math and Science Academy, said he showed up after Finneke appeared at his school to recruit players and the idea sparked his interest.
He said he often saw lots of kids around the neighborhood, but few that he knew that were outside of his school life.
The police league was a good way to get neighbors who don't know each other to interact, he said.
Finneke said she hoped the league, both dance and soccer, would serve as community functions as well as be an outlet for pent up energy.
"It's an outlet, it's like a mental break for me — a way to keep my sanity," Finneke said. "My theory is: Stay active; if you keep fit, you can stay out of trouble and stay involved."
Some spaces are still available, and Finneke said she also hoped to add a summer program later on.
To learn more, contact Finneke at Brooke.Finneke@chicagopolice.org or Luis Rios at Luisdamacio@gmail.com.
Finneke said one of the reasons she wanted to start the league was to help "close the gap" between officers and community members, particularly kids and their parents. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Some players at Wednesday's practice had never even touched a soccer ball. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Officer Brooke Finneke takes down players' names and schools. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Officer Martin Preib talks one-on-one with an upset young boy during the practice. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
A Chicago Park District employee, a police officer and Martin Jimenez, a junior at Chicago Math and Science Academy, talk and kick a soccer ball around casually Wednesday afternoon. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
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