D.C. United and its non-profit arm, United for D.C.,have rescheduled today’s United Soccer Club event due to weather concerns. Theevents will now be held on Friday, June 3 and Friday, June 10 from 4:30-7:15p.m. on the RFK Stadium Training Field and will feature matches, playerautographs, D.C. United mascot Talon, carnival games, music, and much more. Thetournaments will involve all children, ages 6-12, which participated in UnitedSoccer Club this spring.
This one-of-a-kind tournament brings together youth fromacross the District, Virginia and Maryland to RFK, exemplifying D.C. United’swide-ranging commitment to the community. All participants will have recentlycompleted a 10-week soccer training, as part of United Soccer Club, and willhave the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of several D.C. Unitedplayers. On Friday June 3, joining the United Soccer Club tournament will beD.C. United midfielder Kurt Morsink. In addition, on Friday June 10, a playerto be determined will attend. Family and friends are welcome to attend, andfood and drinks will be provided for the student athletes as part of theprogram’s focus on healthy lifestyles.
As part of this year’s tournament, D.C. United has teamedup with the One World Futbol Project and Social(k), an award-winning Bcorporation which supplies socially-responsible retirement plans for B Corpsand similar companies. Through a donation from Social(k), tournamentparticipants will play using the One World Futbol—the world’s first,ultra-durable, all-terrain ball. Inaddition, 100 of the ultra-durable balls will be donated directly to UnitedSoccer Club, a program formed to introduce the sport of soccer to youth ininner-city and underprivileged communities of the greater Washington, D.C.area. Social(k) donates 8.5% of pre-tax net revenue annually.
United Soccer Club enrolled close to 800 children in theprogram this spring, teaching the participants the importance of a healthylifestyle through physical activity and proper nutrition, as well as lifeskills that are beneficial on and off the field. The program operates at 12sites and this season added two middle school teams. All teams met three timesa week after school for 90 minute sessions, and players were taught by D.C.United staff, current and former United players, and talented local coaches.The 2011 season also saw the addition of friendly matches throughout theseason, furthering the participant’s sense of team, commitment, and healthycompetition.
The 2011 expansion introduced two new middle school sites:Harrison Parks and Recreation and Friendship Academy Public Charter. New sitesintroduced over the past year include Fort Davis Parks and Recreation Center inWard 7, the Fishing School at J.O. Wilson Elementary School in Ward 6 – allwhile continuing in the existing sites of Barry Farm Recreation Center, KetchamElementary School, Boys & Girls Club at Orr Elementary and the FBR Branchat THEARC in Ward 8, Turkey Thicket Recreation Center in Ward 5, HarrisonRecreation Center and Parkview Recreation Center in Ward 1, Richard EnglandClubhouse #14 in Ward 7, Long Branch Community Center in Silver Spring, Md. andWalter Reed Community Center in Arlington, Va.
United Soccer Club was born from a request in Ward 8 foropportunities for children to play organized soccer. In the spring of 2006,United for D.C. launched its own after school soccer program, in partnershipwith D.C. Parks and Recreation at Barry Farm Recreation Center. The program hasincorporated a formal healthy lifestyles curriculum in an effort to combat theregion’s high rate of obesity amongst children. The spring session also sawparticipation in a number of special events including a AJAX Amsterdam - D.C.United Clinic.
United Soccer Club,sponsored by the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Volkswagen and The Department of Health,is one of the many community outreach ventures of United for D.C. Othersinclude the Kicks for Kids program, through which thousands of underprivilegedchildren will have an opportunity to watch United play next season, as well asUnited Reads, currently presented in six DC elementary schools. This programdistributes nearly 8,000 books during player visits throughout the year.
Launchedin July 2010, the One World Futbol Project developed the One World Futbol—anultra-durable, all-terrain ball that never deflates and plays on any surface.The company sells the One World Futbol wholesale directly to institutions andorganizations, as well as to individual consumers through a “Give One Get One”model. For every ball bought at retail, the company is committed to donating asecond ball to a community in need. The One World Futbol Project isheadquartered in Berkeley, California, with offices in Napa. Since launching,the One World Futbol has been introduced in 83 countries through 107organizations on the ground in war zones, refugee camps, inner cities, andother harsh environments for use in their work with individuals in need. Formore information, visit http://oneworldfutbol.com.
For more information on these programs or how fans cancontribute time or money to these worthy causes, please contact United for D.C.at 202-587-5000.
