Sepak Takraw Courts

Neighborhoods: North End & East Side

Amount Raised: $100,000

Project Partners: Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee Legacy Grant, Minnesota Humanities Center Arts and Cultural Heritage Legacy Funds, Neighborhood STAR Program, Ramsey County, Sepak Takraw of USA, Inc.

What is Sepak Takraw?

Sepak takraw is a traditional sport played in much of Southeast Asia. It is commonly described as volleyball played with the feet, chest and head. The sport involves teams of three players passing a ball over a net. Players can use any part of their body, except for their hands, to return the ball over the net.

Sepak takraw was first introduced in Minnesota by the first wave of Hmong immigrants 40 years ago. The game is fairly easy to pick up and understand but to compete at an international level takes work. Professional players jump and spin in the air to kick the ball over the net. Their play has been described as gravity-defying.

In 2016, some Minnesota sepak takraw players came home with first and second place from SkillCon, a convention where unique skills and competitive sports compete.

PRoject Background

The Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Systems Plan recommends providing flexible spaces in parks to support outdoor Kato/Takraw by working with the community to monitor trends in this sport. In addition, our Parks Design and Construction Division Equity plan recommends that racial equity is taken into consideration in park distribution, quality, space and amenities. As a result, the City applied for and received funding from the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee to build two courts at Marydale Park and Duluth and Case Recreation Center.

Additional funding for the courts was povided by Ramsey County, the City of Saint Paul’s Capital Improvement budget and a grant from the Minnesota State Legacy Fund.

Conservancy funding helped to fill the gap in funding that was still needed to build referee stands, spectator benches, practice stands and fencing.

Saint Paul’s East Side is one of the first neighborhoods in the U.S. to receive permanent sepak takraw courts. The courts are history making for the Hmong community in Saint Paul. They offer the opportunity for everyone in the neighborhood to experience the culture.