Media Contact
Meredith McClure, U.S. Soccer Foundation, mmcclure@ussoccerfoundation.org, 202.872.6662
Darren Gill, FieldTurf, dgill@fieldturf.com, 800.724.2969
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, and FieldTurf are pleased to announce they are extending their partnership agreement through 2013. FieldTurf will remain the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s National Partner for Artificial Turf Soccer Surfaces and serve as a member the Foundation’s Partners Resource Center.
As part of the agreement, FieldTurf will support the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s mission to develop quality soccer fields that provide children in underserved communities with safe play spaces. FieldTurf will provide support for the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s Footprint Fields Grants program, share its expertise in artificial turf installation and maintenance, and offer discounts on FieldTurf products to U.S. Soccer Foundation grant applicants.
“FieldTurf is proud to be the turf of choice for the U.S. Soccer Foundation. This reinforces our long-standing commitment to the beautiful game,” said Darren Gill, Vice-President of Global Marketing for FieldTurf. “Since partnering with the U.S. Soccer Foundation we have given hundreds of thousands of children a safer place to play.”
The Footprint Fields program is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Soccer Foundation, FieldTurf, adidas and MLS W.O.R.K.S. which provides grants for the construction of artificial turf soccer fields for community use in areas where recreation options are limited.
“We are proud to announce that we’ve extended our partnership with FieldTurf, the leading artificial turf manufacturer in the world,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President and CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “We believe soccer is a powerful vehicle for youth development and social change and focus our efforts on programs and projects that improve the health and well-being of children in underserved communities. Providing access to safe, durable fields is an integral part of our work and our partnership with FieldTurf will enable us to provide children with more safe places to play.”
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About the U.S. Soccer Foundation
The U.S. Soccer Foundation is the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States. Established in 1994, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has invested more than $51 million, supporting hundreds of projects in every state. The U.S. Soccer Foundation supports programs and field building projects that provide low-income and at-risk youth in urban communities with soccer programs that promote education, healthy lifestyles, leadership and positive alternatives to drugs, crime and other at-risk behaviors. For more information, or to donate online, please visit www.ussoccerfoundation.org/donate.
About FieldTurf
FieldTurf offers industry-leading engineering and manufacturing resources and leads the artificial turf industry with regard to setting higher environmental standards. FieldTurf is the global market leader in terms of artificial turf sports fields with more than 4,000 fields installed. Additionally, FieldTurf has attained more than 15,000 satisfied customers in high quality pet, residential, commercial and municipal landscaping solutions, playground surfacing and has a complete range of golf and tennis products. FieldTurf artificial turf customers enjoy the benefits of significantly reduced water consumption, the elimination of fertilizer and pesticides, superior durability and drainage and a product that looks and feels real. The positive environmental impact of FieldTurf provides the added benefit of LEED building contributions.
FieldTurf is part of Tarkett Sports, a Division of the Tarkett Group. Tarkett Sports is the largest entity in the sports and landscape surfacing industries. Included within the Tarkett Sports portfolio is an impressive range of performance sports flooring products. This product range includes: synthetic and hardwood basketball; volleyball and gymnasium flooring; squash and racquetball courts; floor protection and covering systems; weight room flooring; and high performance indoor and outdoor running tracks, featuring Beynon and Atlas track surfaces. All Tarkett Sports surfaces are developed, produced and installed with a concentration on sustainability and a commitment to protecting the environment, providing additional LEED contribution opportunities for customers. The company calls this focus on sustainability and the environment ‘Environmental Intelligence’ and all company personnel strive to exemplify this philosophy in all aspects of the business.