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U.S. Soccer Foundation Awards $2 Million in Grants for 2007
A Total Of 52 Groups Will Benefit, Including 16 With All Conditions Fields Grants
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Major Charitable Arm of Soccer in the United States, has made $2 million in funds available to 52 groups in 24 states and the District of Columbia as part of its 12th annual grants program.
Through its history, the Foundation has made over $45 million available, in all 50 states, for the growth of the game of soccer through grants and other financial support.
The Foundation, through its partnership with NikeGO, awarded 16 All Conditions Fields (ACF) grants for the construction of 14 full-size soccer fields and two mini-ACF’s that can be used around the clock, no matter the weather. In addition, the Foundation awarded 30 grants for soccer development programs and six for programs with field enhancements and upgrades.
“Our grants program forms the framework on which the entire mission of the U.S. Soccer Foundation is built,” said John A. 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 high-risk neighborhoods.”
This year’s 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 Program.
A highlight of the grant process each year is the designation of the Alan I. Rothenberg Award and the Ann and Jim Hamilton Award, special grants in honor of Foundation leaders whose stewardship has helped the Foundation succeed since its inception. Also, in recognition of the fact that the Foundation is Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Charity of Choice and is the recipient each season of all MLS player fines, the Foundation recognizes the MLS Players' Award.
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 Hamilton Award is presented to a program with the greatest impact on young female players. This year, the Rothenberg Award is going to Metro Parks & Recreation in Nashville, Tenn., while the Hamilton Award is being presented to the CityKicks, Inc. program in Dorchester, Mass., for the second straight year.
The MLS Players’ Award was presented to three organizations - the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Denver, Colo., the United Neighborhood Organization in Chicago, Ill., and the Southern California Youth Soccer Organization in Los Angeles, Calif.
“The Union is proud to work with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to designate the annual MLS Players’ Award,” said Bob Foose, Executive Director of the Major League Soccer Players Union. “No player enjoys being fined, but with these grants and with the strong support provided by the Foundation, MLS players know that their money will be put to good use.”
Late last year, the U.S. Soccer Foundation established the Mooch Myernick Fund per a request from 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 Foundation grants to soccer clubs and organizations in urban areas to help increase the number of children playing the sport in metropolitan communities nationwide. The beneficiaries of the Mooch Myernick Fund are the Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy (Chicago, Ill.), Think Detroit PAL (Detroit, Mich.) and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (Flushing, N.Y.)
Since the first grants were made in the spring of 1995, the Foundation has issued a grand total of 439 awards to groups large and small in every corner of the nation.
This year’s 36 program and field enhancement grant recipients (alphabetical by state) are:
• Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (Tampa, Fla.)
• Southern California Youth Soccer Organization (Los Angeles, Calif.) ***
• National Sports Center for the Disabled (Denver, Colo.) ***
• Capital Community Soccer Club (Washington, D.C.)
• Friends of Takoma Recreation Center (Washington, D.C.)
• America SCORES Miami (Miami, Fla.)
• Atlanta Youth Soccer Association (Atlanta, Ga.)
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Augusta (Augusta, Ga.)
• Frank Callen Boys & Girls Clubs (Savannah, Ga.)
• Chicago SCORES (Chicago, Ill.)
• Rauner Family YMCA (Chicago, Ill.)
• Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy (Chicago, Ill.) †
• United Neighborhood Organization (UNO)-(Chicago, Ill.) ***
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Indianapolis Public Schools (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Topeka (Topeka, Kan.)
• The Friends of Patterson Park (Baltimore, Md.)
• Calverton Soccer Club (Sunshine, Md.)
• CityKicks (Dorchester, Mass.) **
• Friendly House, Inc. of Worcester Massachusetts (Worcester, Mass.)
• Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association (Boston, Mass.)
• Think Detroit PAL (Detroit, Mich.) †
• Southwest Youth Services, Inc. (Corrales, New Mexico)
• First Chernomorets.org (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
• Durham Parks and Recreation Department (Durham, N.C.)
• City of Rocky Mount (Rocky Mount, N.C.)
• Orange County Recreation and Parks Department (Mebane, N.C.)
• Village of Obetz (Obetz, Ohio)
• Creswell School District (Creswell, Ore.)
• Vanguard Ministries dba Cascade Surge (Salem/Keizer, Ore.)
• All Stars Youth Association (Philadelphia, Pa.)
• Starfinder Foundation (Philadelphia, Pa.)
• Ebony City Soccer Club (Charleston, S.C.)
• Metro Parks & Recreation (Nashville, Tenn.)*
• Dallas Texans Soccer Club (Farmers Branch, Texas)
• West Allis West Milwaukee School District (West Allis, Wis.)
* Alan I. Rothenberg Award
** Ann & Jim Hamilton Award
*** MLS Players’ Award
† Mooch Myernick Fund
This year’s 16 All Conditions Fields grant recipients (listed alphabetically by state) are:
• City of Pomona (Pomona, Calif.)
• City of Vista (Vista, Calif.)
• Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (Los Angeles, Calif.)
• University of Bridgeport (Bridgeport, Conn.)
• Multicultural Career Intern Program (Washington, D.C.)
• Jungman Elementary (Chicago, Ill.)
• New Bedford Youth Soccer Inc. (New Bedford, Mass.)
• Scott Gallagher Soccer Club (Maryland Heights, Mo.)
• Taos Youth Soccer League, Incorporated (Taos, New Mexico)
• City of Newark (Newark, N.J.)
• New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (Flushing, N.Y.) †
• Pinnacle Sports (Medina, Ohio)
• Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District (Beaverton, Ore.)
• Central Coast Soccer Association (Lincoln City, Ore.)
• Arlington County (Arlington, Va.)
• Prince William Soccer, Inc. (Woodbridge, Va.)
† Mooch Myernick Fund
“We are honored to have the U.S. Soccer Foundation as a Partner with Nike in the ACF Program,” said Joe Elsmore, Nike’s Director of U.S. Soccer Sports Marketing. “It is Nike’s goal to use sport as a tool for improving the lives of kids in many ways and our Partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation is one example of how we achieve it – bringing soccer fields to kids across the U.S., especially in areas where they are truly needed.”
The Foundation’s ACF Partners – in addition to NikeGO – include Ballard Sports, Clough Harbour Sports, FieldTurf, Kwik Goal, Musco Sports Lighting and TGI Systems. Ballard Sports and Clough Harbour Sports provide assistance in the initial planning, design and construction stages of a project. Musco Sports Lighting illuminates the all-weather, 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.
If you would like additional information about the Foundation's Annual Grants Program, please click on the following links:
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