The Saturday Night Lights (SNL) program is a sports-based youth development initiative that creates safe, welcoming spaces for young people to connect, play, and grow.

By bringing communities together through sports and recreation, SNL fosters trust among key partners and provides meaningful opportunities for youth to stay active and engaged.

About Saturday Night Lights

Councilmember Candelas, in collaboration with the San Jose Earthquakes, the County of Santa Clara, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, and the San José Police Department, the City of San José Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services Department is proud to announce the return and expansion of Saturday Night Lights (SNL), an eight-week spring program providing middle and high school youth with safe, supportive spaces to play futsal soccer on Friday and Saturday nights.

Following last year’s successful pilot program at two locations, SNL has grown significantly and will now purposefully expand across eight sites throughout San Jose. 

The program kicks off Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18, offering free, weekly futsal programming designed to promote physical activity, mentorship, and positive community engagement. There are two sites in District 8:

• George Leyva Middle School (1865 Monrovia Drive)
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley – Smythe Clubhouse (2195 Cunningham Avenue).

Other participating sites include: 

The program will conclude on Saturday, June 6, with a collective Closing Ceremony ahead of the FIFA World Cup™ arriving in County of Santa Clara and San Jose just one week later.

Modeled after a successful initiative in New York City, SNL is designed to strengthen relationships between youth and public-safety partners, reduce exposure to negative influences during high-risk evening hours, and provide structured opportunities for young people to learn, play and grow. 

Saturday Night Lights is made possible through collaborative funding by the San Jose Earthquakes Foundation, Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office through asset forfeiture, the County of Santa Clara, and the City of San José, along with a generous donation from PG&E.

Check out the following links to see more of Saturday Night Lights in the News!