By: Mario Mancini

The city Department of Education spent $4 million in taxpayer money to renovate a Brooklyn athletic field — then handed exclusive control to an all-boys public school tied to Schools Chancellor David Banks, which immediately booted out three local girls’ soccer teams.

The Old Boys and Girls Field at Troy Avenue and Rutland Road in East Flatbush had long served as a practice and game site for the girls’ varsity teams from Medgar Evers College Prep, Wingate, and Prospect Heights — all co-ed high schools located nearby.

But after the costly makeover, the DOE gave the keys to Eagle Academy for Young Men II — a small school with just over 600 students located two miles away in District 23 — even going so far as to paint the school’s name and logo on the turf.

As the New York Post originally reported, the move stunned local coaches and athletes, who say it was done with no public notice or input.

“Suddenly, quietly, behind our backs, it got transferred to Eagle Academy,” said Ruslan Yakovlyuk, head coach of the Medgar Evers Cougars girls’ team. “Once the facility was transferred to them, they basically said, ‘It’s ours.’ My guess is that Mr. Banks gave it to them somehow. It’s all politics.”

Banks served as founding principal of the original Eagle Academy in the Bronx and later led the Eagle Foundation before becoming chancellor under Mayor Eric Adams.

Wingate girls’ coach Shani Nakhid-Schuster said the displacement forced her team to travel across Brooklyn, missing classes and returning late from practices. “It was a huge disservice to women’s sports,” she said.

An alternative field offered by the city — a baseball diamond next door — was declared unsuitable due to its uneven surfaces and infield cutouts.

As the New York Post originally reported, the controversial handoff sparked a federal Title IX complaint, filed by Public School Athletic League official Kenneth Bigley, who alleged the DOE violated civil rights law by giving the renovated public facility exclusively to an all-boys school.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights confirmed in December it had launched an investigation.

Community groups were also pushed out. The Caribbean Premier League Soccer (CPLS), which had hosted cultural tournaments at the site for 35 years, was denied a permit after renovations were completed.

Officials claimed that soccer cleats might damage the turf — despite football cleats being more destructive.

The DOE defended the decision by saying Eagle Academy had “the largest number of athletic teams” among local schools, though records show it has just four teams — compared to more than 30 from the three nearby co-ed schools.

Neither the DOE nor the School Construction Authority would explain who requested or approved the $4 million project, or how Eagle Academy was selected to run the field.

As the New York Post originally reported, Banks has not responded to requests for comment. The DOE denies that any school or group was barred from access — a claim contradicted by those directly impacted.