FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
U.S. Soccer Foundation, Meredith McClure, 202.872.6662, mmcclure@ussoccerfoundation.org
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, announced today that it awarded $2.62 million in funds available to 36 groups in 18 states and the District of Columbia as part of its 16th annual grants program.
The 2010 grants continue the Soccer Foundation’s focus on improving the health and well being of children in urban economically disadvantaged areas using soccer as a vehicle for social change. The grants will help pay for field development, uniforms, player equipment, travel costs, facility rental, registration costs, and training for players, coaches and referees.
Four grants were awarded as part of the Soccer Foundation’s “Soccer for Success” program to groups in Los Angeles, CA, Washington, D.C., Chicago, IL, and Houston, TX. These multi-year grants are focused on providing free after-school soccer programming to thousands of children in grades K-8, giving them a safe environment to get the exercise they need every day.
This year, as part of the “Footprint Fields” program the Foundation awarded nine field grants for the construction of FieldTurf soccer fields that are durable, and can be used in all weather conditions. “Footprint Fields” is a national program launched in July 2009 by adidas, FieldTurf and MLS W.O.R.K.S. to help develop soccer fields in underprivileged neighborhoods.
“The Foundation supports projects that focus on keeping kids active, healthy and engaged in programs that provide an alternative to negative influences,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “We are thrilled to award these Grants to programs that use soccer to foster a child’s development as both an athlete on the field of play and in the game of life. We are committed to making sure each child has opportunities to succeed.”
Through its history, the Foundation has made nearly $51 million available to groups in all 50 states to support the growth of soccer in the U.S. Since the first grants were awarded in the spring of 1995, the Foundation has issued over 600 grants to groups large and small in every corner of the nation.
The 2010 Soccer for Success Grant Recipients:
- Cal South (Los Angeles, CA)
- United for D.C. (Washington, D.C.)
- Illinois Youth Soccer (Chicago, IL)
- Houston Parks and Recreation Department (Houston, TX)
The 2010 Program and Field Enhancement Grant Recipients:
- Champions For Our Community, Inc. (Springdale, AR)
- El Centro Police Activities League (El Centro, CA)
- Imperial County Office of Education (El Centro, CA)
- Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) (Los Angeles, CA)
- LA Red Shield (Los Angeles, CA)
- Youth Policy Institute (Los Angeles, CA)
- Youth Speak Collective (Pacoima, CA)
- City of San Bernardino Parks, Recreation and Community Services (San Bernardino, CA)
- Resource Center for Nonviolence (Santa Cruz, CA)
- James Irwin Charter Schools (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Board of Parks Commissioners/City of New Haven, Department of Parks, Recreation &
- Trees (New Haven, CT)
- YMCA of Coastal Georgia (Savannah, GA)
- Town of Yorktown, Indiana (Yorktown, IN)
- The Friends of Patterson Park (Baltimore, MD)
- Washtenaw County Community Support and Treatment Services (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Pillsbury United Communities (PUC) (Minneapolis, MN)
- City of Rocky Mount Parks & Rec. (Rocky Mount, NC)
- National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association Foundation Fund (Cape May , NJ)
- First Chernomorets USA, Inc. (Brooklyn, NY)
- Cardinal Stritch High School/Kateri Catholic School System (Oregon, OH)
- The JT Dorsey Foundation (Harrisburg, PA)
- Kennett Area Park Authority (Kennett Square, PA)
- City of El Paso (El Paso, TX)
2010 Footprint Fields Grant Recipients:
- City of Huntington Park (Huntington Park, CA)
- Columbus Crew Soccer Foundation (Columbus, OH)
- Academy for Urban School Leadership (Chicago, IL)
- Chicago Fire Foundation (Chicago, IL)
- University of Southern Maine (Gorham, ME)
- Saint Paul Parks and Recreation (Saint Paul, MN)
- The City of Albany (Albany, NY)
- The Salvation Army of Greenville County Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center (Greenville, SC)
- Houston Parks Board (Houston, TX)
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 ussoccerfoundation.org/donate.
Media Request: When referring to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, please refer to the organization only as the U.S. Soccer Foundation or the Soccer Foundation, and never as USSF or US/U.S. Soccer. We appreciate your cooperation.
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U.S. Soccer Foundation
1211 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20036
