A youth baseball team in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood says it has been waiting more than two years to return to its home field, forcing players onto a temporary field that coaches say has problems of its own. The Port Richmond Tigers’ original field at Cohocksink Recreation Cente r on Cedar Street has been under construction for a long time, according to coach Mike Pio. “Our original field was under construction for 27 months. It was slated to be played on April 1st. That didn’t happen and it was slated to be played on Sept. 1st and we’re waiting for some decision that they’re saying that there’s some kind of fungi in the grass and it’s causing us not to play on the field,” Pio said. The team has been playing at a temporary field along Amber Street, about a mile and a half from its original field. Pio said the temporary location needed significant care before the players could use it and continues to have issues. “Had to cancel a game on Monday of this week due to lights. You can see here, third baseline by home plate: Three lights out. First baseline over this side: Two lights out up top here. And if you walk down the field, you can see there’s a couple of lights out here, a couple of lights out here,” Pio said. For the young players, the uncertainty has been frustrating. “It’s just annoying. Want to play and we can’t get to play,” one player said. Pio said the team has reached out to city leaders, including the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department, looking for a firm answer about when the Tigers can return to their home field. Pio said the team’s options in the neighborhood are limited. “The killer here is there’s seven baseball fields in our neighborhood. Six of them are closed. They left us without baseball fields because of the 95 project. The project over Cohocks. So I mean we’re a baseball team without a field,” Pio said. Philadelphia Parks and Recreation said concerns about the lawn have led to additional testing. “Concerns with the condition of the lawn have prompted additional soil testing to help determine the appropriate treatment and next steps. The soil report will take a minimum of two weeks,” a department spokesperson wrote in a statement to NBC10. For now, the Tigers are continuing to use the Amber Street field while they wait to learn when they can return home. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less