Address: 690 NE 159th St, Miami, FL 33162
Website: Oak Grove Park Page
Hours Of Operation:
8 am to 9 pm, 7 days a week
Where it all began! Miami is where Plei calls home. Since partnering with our first facility, we have now expanded to over 25 facilities across Miami-Dade County. 😎
Beyond our partnerships with private pickup facilities, we also work to have a presence at the fields found at local public parks! Oak Grove Park in Golden Glades is one of those. As part of our ongoing blog series, we will be highlighting all of our partner fields in every region where Plei has touched down. 🛬
Keep reading to learn more about all things Oak Grove Park before you head out to play. 👇
Decades and decades of putting together puzzle pieces for the beautiful game to grow in South Florida led to one special addition to the 22-acre Miami-Dade park. Back in 2022, the construction of a brand-new synthetic turf soccer pitch was completed at Oak Grove Park.
In a sort of crowning moment in October of that year, the field was named the “Ernst ‘ZeMono’ Jean-Baptiste Soccer Field”, which honors a Haitian legend of the sport.
This sprawling footy surface is a full-size field by official standards, which makes it exclusive for exciting 11-a-side matches that attract ballers from all throughout the Golden Glades area and beyond.
Other key amenities were also introduced during this mass renovation, including field lighting, a drainage system, free Wi-Fi, bleacher seating, enhanced landscaping and ADA-accessible updates.
Pre-existing amenities still stand strong at Oak Grove Park, in case you were wondering. The park is without a doubt a prime destination for an action-packed day of outdoor recreation filled with various activities to do.
Being a lakeside park, it makes a great place to sit back and watch different animals, namely birds and turtles, go about their business.
As far as the other athletic options are concerned, a set of four (4) tennis courts can be found on the south end of the park. In case sports aren’t your preferred way of burning off some calories, Oak Grove Park provides a number of pathways that pass through the plethora of natural oak groves, a key detail that gave Miami-Dade County no choice but to give the park the name that they did.
Finally, fitness zones are also available that feature plenty of equipment to get a solid workout in what is truly a vibrant outdoor setting.
You also don’t have to be active at all here. Casual picnicking under the shady oak trees by the lake is always an option as well.
If you aren’t familiar with Ernst Jean-Baptiste, he is known for his many contributions and efforts to advance the popularity of soccer throughout South Florida. The Haitian spent a portion of his career playing for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and later went on to serve as head coach of the Haitian national team.
Prior to taking that position, he took charge of the Miami-Dade College soccer team from 1984 to 1989, going as far as the national championship final on two separate occasions. Arguably his biggest achievement, though, was the major helping hand that he lent in organizing 2004’s historic “Game of Peace”, a friendly match between Haiti and Brazil.
Jean-Baptiste’s life achievements as a player, coach & fan - driven by his deep love for the sport - undoubtedly played a huge role in the advancement of the beautiful game in Miami and beyond, ultimately leading to the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners voting to name Oak Grove Park’s field after him.
Haitian representation doesn’t stop here. The Golden Glades population is well-documented as being very much Haitian-dominated, and further testament of that is the Father Gerard Jean-Juste Community Center found at Oak Grove Park.
Named after the Haitian activist who advocated for Haitian refugees, the 20,000 square-foot building is complete with an outdoor pool, deck & splash pad as well as multi-purpose rooms and cultural enrichment activities.
For more information on sports offerings, field rentals & programming at this historic park in Golden Glades, don’t hesitate to check out their website. 🔗
Plei first hosted a pickup game at Oak Grove Park on August 31, 2024, and we continue to play here today.
It’s time for some footy action. Open the Plei App now, sign up for a pickup game at Oak Grove Park in Golden Glades and get ready to ball out! ⚽😎
