U.S. Soccer Foundation Awards $1.47 Million in Grants for 2008

Total of 50 Groups Will Benefit, Including 7 with All Conditions Fields Grants

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, today announced that it has made $1.47 million in funds available to 50 groups in 27 states as part of its 14th annual grants program.

Through its history, the Foundation has made more than $48 million available, in all 50 states, for the growth of the game of soccer through grants and other financial support. Since the first grants were made in the spring of 1995, the Foundation has issued over 570 awards to groups large and small in every corner of the nation.

This year, the Foundation awarded seven All Conditions Fields (ACF) grants for the construction of fullsize soccer fields that can be used around the clock, no matter the weather. In addition, the Foundation awarded 27 grants for soccer development programs and 16 for programs with field enhancements and upgrades. Page 3 identifies, alphabetically by state, the 43 program and field enhancement grant recipients as well as the seven ACF grants.

“Our grants program forms the framework on which the entire mission of the U.S. Soccer Foundation is built,” said John Koskinen, President. “These grants provide both financial resources and access to discounted pricing on services that help organizations in developing soccer communities to better serve their constituents. In many cases, the money we provide is the difference between simply surviving and thriving for emerging soccer programs, particularly those that serve youth in at-risk neighborhoods.”

The 2008 grants continue the Foundation’s special emphasis on the economically disadvantaged in urban areas, with a strong focus on proposals that engage inner city youth. As always, the goal is to develop players, referees, and coaches through programs, field enhancements or the Foundation’s ACF grants.

The Foundation is proud to be a Major League Soccer (MLS) charity of choice and pleased to announce that, once again, the Foundation is the recipient of all MLS player fines accumulated during the 2007 season. All of these funds were added to the Foundation’s annual grants pool this year and help create opportunities for players, coaches and referees to play the game of soccer.

“While no player is happy about paying a fine, the Union is proud to work with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to turn a negative into a positive by directing fine money to such worthwhile programs,” said Bob Foose, Executive Director of the Major League Soccer Players Union. “The Foundation has always been tremendously supportive of those who play the game and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”

Named Awards - A highlight of the grant process each year is the announcement of the designated, “named” awards. The oldest of these awards are the Alan I. Rothenberg and the Ann & Jim Hamilton Awards, special grants in honor of Foundation leaders whose stewardship has helped the Foundation succeed since its inception.

The Rothenberg Award is presented annually to a program that best exemplifies the Foundation’s increasing emphasis on serving coaches, players and referees in at-risk urban communities, while the Ann and Jim Hamilton Award is presented to a program with the greatest impact on young female players. This year, the Rothenberg Award is going to the Central City Soccer Association’s Heart of Los Angeles Youth project in Los Angeles, CA, while the Ann & Jim Hamilton Award is being presented to the CityKicks, Inc. program in Dorchester, MA.

In late 2006, the U.S. Soccer Foundation established the Mooch Myernick Fund, at the request of the Myernick family, to honor the life, career and years of distinguished service that coach Glenn “Mooch” Myernick dedicated to the sport of soccer. Proceeds from the Mooch Myernick Fund were distributed this year through the Foundation’s annual grant program to help increase the number of children playing the sport in metropolitan communities nationwide. The beneficiary of the 2008 Mooch Myernick Fund grant award is Project GOAL, Inc. (Providence, RI)

After the untimely death of David “Dino” Vanole in January 2007, the Foundation, in consultation with David’s and his wife Kerry’s families, created the David Charles Vanole Memorial Fund to honor his life, career and years of distinguished soccer service. This year marks the inaugural distribution of proceeds from the Endowment that has been established. As requested by both families, a grant each year is to be made to a soccer club or organization which will help create and sustain soccer opportunities for underserved children in urban areas, with an emphasis on groups in the Southern California region where David began his career. This year, the Foundation is pleased to designate the Hollenbeck Police Athletic League (Manhattan Beach, CA) as the first recipient of the Vanole Memorial Fund award.

In February 2007, long-time Board Member, Charlie Stillitano, Jr., announced his retirement from the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Charlie began his Board tenure as the original Chairman of the Grants Committee and ultimately dedicated more than 12 years of his outstanding leadership to help frame the Foundation’s grant making process. In recognition of his many years of outstanding service, the Foundation has designated the Philadelphia Department of Recreation (Philadelphia, PA) as the inaugural recipient of the Charlie Stillitano, Jr. award. This award, at Charlie’s request, also honors his father, Mr. Charlie Stillitano, Sr., and is given to the soccer club or organization that provides playing opportunities for economically disadvantaged, inner-city children with an emphasis on groups in New Jersey, New York, and the Mid-Atlantic States.

All Conditions Fields Program - The Foundation’s ACF Partners include Clough Harbour Sports, FieldTurf, Kwik Goal, Musco Sports Lighting and TGI Systems. Clough Harbour Sports provides assistance in the initial planning, design and construction stages of a project. Musco Sports Lighting illuminates the allweather, synthetic grass field that is manufactured by FieldTurf. Kwik Goal goals — both full size and smaller size — promote play by all ages. TGI Systems provides field-level signage systems to help generate additional revenue through sponsorships.

About the U.S. Soccer Foundation - The Foundation is led by Chairman Brad Hays (Corrales, NM), Vice Chairman Kevin Payne (Reston, VA), Treasurer Charles Marshall (Beaverton, OR) and Secretary Ed Foster-Simeon (Woodbridge, VA). The headquarters are in Washington, D.C., where President John A. Koskinen and his management team carry out the Foundation’s mission.

The U.S. Soccer Foundation was established in 1994 to manage the surplus funds generated by the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the United States. Under the guidance of its Board of Directors, the Foundation has taken a leading role in supporting the continuous development of the sport at all levels. Over $48 million in grants, financial support and loans have been made to help develop a soccer nation. The Foundation has provided more than 570 grants focused on developing players, coaches and referees and building or enhancing fields and soccer complexes, with a special emphasis on economically disadvantaged urban areas. For more information, or to donate online, please visit: ussoccerfoundation.org.

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The 2008 Program and Field Enhancement grant recipients are:

Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado (El Dorado, AR)
Randolph Soccer Club (Tucson, AZ)
Yuma Elementary School District #1 (Yuma, AZ.)
Central City Soccer Association - Heart of Los Angeles Youth (Los Angeles, CA) *
Youth Policy Institute (Los Angeles, CA)
Hollenbeck Police Athletic League (Manhattan Beach, CA)‡‡
Central American Refugee Committee (Oakland, CA)
Oakland Soccer Club (Oakland, CA)
Feather River Recreation & Park District (Oroville, CA)
San Francisco Bay Area Council (San Leandro, CA)
Bay Area SCORES (San Francisco, CA)
New Haven Youth Soccer (New Haven, CT)
Town of Cutler Bay (Cutler Bay, FL)
Soccer in the Streets (Atlanta, GA)
City of Winterset and Winterset Area Soccer Club (Winterset, IA)
Les Bois Soccer Association (Meridian, ID)
Chicago SCORES (Chicago, IL)
Southwest Youth Collaborative (Chicago, IL)
Pike Youth Soccer Club, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN)
LaSalle Council, BSA (South Bend, IN)
Baton Rouge Soccer Association (Baton Rouge, LA)
CSA - Carrollton Soccer Association (New Orleans, LA)
CityKicks (Dorchester, MA) **
Parks & People (Baltimore, MD)
Think Detroit PAL (Detroit, MI)
Total Soccer of Springfield (Springfield, MO)
Metro Strikers Soccer Club (St. Louis, MO)
Vicksburg Soccer Organization (Vicksburg, MS)
Urban Ministry Center (Charlotte, NC)
Swansboro Soccer Association (Stella, NC)
Franklin Township Youth Soccer Association (Williamstown, NJ)
Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency (Cincinnati, OH)
Gladden Community House (Columbus, OH)
Oklahoma City Police Athletic League (Oklahoma City, OK)
Philadelphia Department of Recreation (Philadelphia, PA)***
Project GOAL, Inc. (Providence, RI) ‡
Albion Hurricanes Football Club (Houston, TX)
Aldine Y.O.U.T.H. Community Center (Houston, TX)
McReynolds Middle School Sparks Park (Houston, TX)
Humble ISD (Humble, TX)
Middlesex Family YMCA (Hartfield, VA)
The Eddie Pope Foundation (Manassas, VA)
Metro Parks Tacoma (Tacoma, WA)

*Alan I. Rothenberg Award **Ann & Jim Hamilton Award

***Charlie Stillitano, Jr. Award ‡Mooch Myernick Fund

‡‡David Vanole Memorial Fund

The 2008 All Conditions Fields grant recipients (listed alphabetically by state) are:

SCPASA (Pasadena, CA)
City of Vista (Vista, CA)
OnGoal, LLC (Leawood, KS.)
Friends of Missoula Parks (Missoula, MT)
Greensboro Youth Soccer (Greensboro, NC)
Essex County Department of Parks (Newark, NJ)
McLean Youth Soccer Association (McLean, VA)