The History of ESYSSO

Eastside Youth Services and Street Outreach, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, built East Side Field at Yellow Jacket Stadium to give the youth of East Austin a top-quality place to play.  ESYSSO wants to give young people the chance to escape the destructive influence of the streets by providing the alternative of a deluxe playing field on which to practice and compete.   In the early 70s, the space next to Anderson High School in East Austin was the football field for the school.  In the early 80s, the worst thing that could happen to a neighborhood unfolded.  The high school was closed and the core of the community fell with it. Upon returning to Austin, Thomas Henderson visited the old neighborhood and discovered that children were playing in the street and the young people were dying in the street.  He believed his calling was to repair a place to play and maybe a place for some young kid to follow in his footsteps.