Copper wire thieves turn out the lights on youth sports teams

Nationwide, youth sports have evolved into a $40 billion industry, attracting private equity and other major investors. But in Philadelphia, some teams are dealing with problems as basic as nightfall.

In Hunting Park, parents of players on the North Philadelphia Aztecs football team pull their cars up to the end zones and use their headlights to keep practice going.

Copper wire theft has damaged the field’s overhead lights, and has threatened the football and cheer programs’ existence, despite winning national championships in both sports in recent years, Aztecs cofounder Mitchell Brown said.

It has been difficult to hire volunteer coaches because they do not want to deal with the lighting problem, which has been going on since last year, he said. The Aztecs currently have the fewest volunteers Brown has had in the three decades he has been running the program.

“Who wants to bust their butt all summer … and then find out they can’t practice on the field when you’re just getting ready to go to the championship?” he asked.

The city has announced a new initiative to combat copper wire theft at Philly parks, recreation centers, and other public properties after recent incidents left youth sports teams without working field lights. Officials said thefts were reported in Hunting Park, Bartram’s Garden, and Oxford Circle, along park trails, and even inside some city buildings over the last 18 months.

Copper theft likely is not making anyone rich, but the metal has some minimal value when sold. One Pennsauken scrapyard, Sgt. Scrap, is offering between $5.24 and $5.50 per pound for copper, by far the most for any metal it has priced.

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation is partnering with the city streets department to deter theft and increase security around lighting infrastructure. The new measures will include the installation of anti-theft hardware at the base of streetlight poles, transitioning from copper to aluminum cables (which have less scrap value), reinstalling cable at the top of some street poles to limit access, and increasing video surveillance.

The streets department is also working to develop software that will detect unauthorized wire movement and streetlight pole access.

The security measures will be implemented citywide, based upon infrastructure needs and history of theft in particular areas, according to streets department officials. The improvements are being incorporated into the department’s ongoing maintenance work and will not require additional spending by the city. Some of the work has already begun, but no completion date has been set, officials said.

City Councilmember Quetcy Lozada said her district, which includes sections of North Philadelphia and Kensington, has been hit hard by copper wire theft. Eight playgrounds or recreation centers in Lozada’s 7th District have experienced wire thefts, requiring a combined repair cost of nearly $1 million, and forcing young athletes to practice in the dark, she said.

“Copper wire theft is taking a real toll on communities across Philadelphia. The theft is an urgent crisis for our Parks and Rec fields,” she said in a statement.

She warned the problem will only get worse for Philadelphians who depend on the lights in the fall and winter, as daylight hours shrink.

“The impact goes beyond one team or one field — when these lights are out, entire neighborhoods often lose safe, reliable access to public recreation spaces in the evening,” she said.

Lozada said she supported Councilmember Mark Squilla’s efforts to bring stricter oversight to scrapyards, including a bill he introduced in 2025 that would require individuals to acquire a license to sell scrap metal. The bill did not advance out of committee.

The city held an event last week at Hunting Park announcing its initiative against copper wire theft, where officials were flanked by members of the Aztecs team. Brown said the darkness does not affect the kids’ desire to practice and play.

Brown was worried about how the end of daylight saving time in a few weeks could make the problem even worse, since some practices are already starting as late as 6 p.m. But while the Aztecs wait for city repairs, Brown said, they will still be carrying out the original mission of the program — keeping kids safe and out of trouble.

“Even in the dark, they’re off the street,” he said.