Over the past three years of Pepsi Zero
Sugar®, Lay's®, Gatorade™ and UEFA Champions League partnership,
"Team of Champions" has impacted more than 43 Organizations and
more than 30,000 youth players, coaches, and parents
PURCHASE, N.Y., June 7, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Entering the third and final year, PepsiCo, Inc.
(NASDAQ:PEP) today announced it has added 16 new organizations to
culminate "Team of Champions" — a national purpose platform that
improves access to soccer in underserved communities, including
Black and Hispanic youth, across the U.S. The $1 million commitment made over the past three
years has made actionable investments on and off the field,
including helping teams with apparel and equipment costs, field
access, mentoring, coaching and education, and fan experiences.
PepsiCo invests $1
million to support soccer access in underserved U.S.
communities, impacting youth players/coaches
By continuing to expand its reach into more communities in 2023,
"Team of Champions" will continue to focus on recruiting more women
and girls into its programming through collaboration and
integration with the American Outlaws — a non-profit group
dedicated to organizing support for the men's, women's, and youth
U.S. National soccer teams — and LA Galaxy superstar Javier
"Chicharito" Hernández. Hernández is also entering his third year
as "Team Captain," helping to increase the visibility of this
year's lineup and the impact the recognized organizations have in
local communities across the country.
"Over the last three years, PepsiCo and I have worked together
to establish the 'Team of Champions' program and, together we have
brought 30,000 athletes and coaches onto the field," said
Hernández. "In addition to the physical benefits of playing soccer,
bringing the beautiful game into these communities teaches youth
about teamwork, problem-solving, and accountability. Participation
in sports overall enhances resilience and has been proven to boost
self-esteem. I'm excited to continue to deliver on our mission to
remove barriers to the game in underserved communities."
Since 2021, the "Team of Champions" has invested in elevating 43
organizations and impacted more than 30,000 youth players and their
coaches. The "Team of Champions" is a major initiative that is part
of PepsiCo's Racial Equality Journey's community pillar, which in
2020 saw the company announce commitments of more than $570 million over five years to increase
representation within its workforce and improve Black
and Hispanic businesses and communities in the United States to address issues of
inequality and create more opportunity.
"The 'Team of Champions' is a direct illustration of PepsiCo's
commitment to drive long-term change and address the systemic
barriers that stand in the way of so many underserved communities,"
said Antonio Escalona, Senior Vice
President & General Manager, Hispanic Business Unit, PepsiCo
Foods North America. "Our brands and this initiative combine sport
and individual identity as a pathway toward a measurable impact on
Hispanic-led and Black-led soccer clubs, programs and businesses in
the United States."
Integral to "Team of Champions" this year is the "Access for
Champions" program, an opportunity for participating players to
connect with UEFA ambassadors. Through these inspirational events,
participants will have the opportunity to engage with athletes and
leaders from both PepsiCo and the soccer industry to discuss
various topics ranging from creating a growth mindset to exploring
soccer as an industry. In addition, for the second year in a row,
PepsiCo is partnering with ACCESS U, a non-profit organization
dedicated to mentoring players and their families throughout the
college recruiting process, to help guide students seeking athletic
scholarships.
"Since 2018 we have shown that investment in sport as a vehicle
for change makes an undeniable impact," said Esperanza Teasdale, Vice President & General
Manager, Hispanic Business Unit, PepsiCo Beverages North America.
"The opportunity to help level the playing field in more local
communities by equalizing access for underserved youth and
increasing the recruitment of young women as athletes was the
predominant driving factor."
This year's "Team of Champions" lineup is composed of 16 local
organizations in cities including Denver, St.
Louis, Coachella,
Los Angeles, Portland, Denton, Orlando, Minneapolis, Nashville, New
York, Omaha, Houston, and Washington, D.C.
Building on the success of the 2021-22 programs, PepsiCo
has:
- Benefited more than 10,000 players and coaches, including
educational opportunities to refine and optimize their leadership
skills.
- Added 16 more organizations to total 43 through the three-year
campaign.
- Provided more than 30,000 players with new equipment and
playing apparel through the three-year campaign.
- Provide mentoring opportunities for student-athletes with
highly regarded soccer professionals, team executives, and business
leaders.
- Facilitate access to local fields and provide resources for
field maintenance, including the installation of lighting.
Over the upcoming weeks, PepsiCo will amplify the stories of the
16 organizations, distributed across digital platforms, to provide
more visibility on the impact of every dollar donated.
The 2023 "Team of Champions" recognized organizations
include:
- ALBION SC Merced (Merced,
Calif.) – Located two hours outside of San Jose in rural California, Albion SC serves a range of
Hispanic migrant communities that otherwise wouldn't have
representation in the game.
- Casa FC (Denver) – Casa
FC describes itself as the state's only Latino-founded and led
organization offering authentic, inclusive and values-driven
athletic experiences for youth.
- Dream Big Foundation (St.
Louis) – Dream Big Foundation has built a nurturing
atmosphere for underserved families so he can keep them from being
blocked from the game for financial reasons.
- FCA Soccer Club (Coachella,
Calif.) – The FCA Soccer Club serves a range of Hispanic
migrant communities that otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to
develop their skill and pursue their dreams of using soccer to
improve the lives of their families. FCA Soccer Club was
established in the Coachella Valley in 2016 as a part of the
Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), which was established in
1954.
- Futbol Academy of SoCal
Pda (Los
Angeles) – Futbol Academy is laser-focused on
bringing quality soccer to inner city Los
Angeles. FASC values "play above pay" — meaning all players
are accepted and the cost of participation is minimal. The club
serves hundreds of youth in the Los
Angeles area. In addition, FASC partners with AXIS to help
create pathways for families of color to get opportunities to
attend private schools.
- Kennedy Park Football Club (Portland, Maine) – Kennedy Park Football Club
shows the power of inspiration and the momentum growing around
building soccer communities all over the country. Founded by two
soccer players local to Southern
Maine, the idea of Kennedy Park was sparked by a trip to
Los Angeles, where they were
inspired by Venice Beach FC's commitment to creating community and
giving a platform to underserved communities.
- Guys/Girls Operating as Leaders (Denton, Texas) – Using soccer as the vehicle,
G.O.A.L. helps students with mentorship, tutoring, scholarships to
local programs, and an all-in effort to help nurture future leaders
in their community. G.O.A.L. not only helps youth struggling within
their environment to cope but also puts them on a trajectory to
become successful.
- FD Football Club (Orlando) – FD Football Club is a
well-established organization serving hundreds of youth in the
Orlando community. The youth
programming focuses on developing players as individuals as opposed
to just a larger group or team and aims to improve lives via
college or professional soccer pathways, creating possibilities for
a successful future that otherwise may not exist.
- Girls Leading Girls (California) – There are few organizations
specifically focused on serving girls in soccer. Girls Leading
Girls is uniquely focused on what their name suggests –– connecting
girls with female mentors and coaches, showing a commitment to not
only develop young athletes but building the next generation of
leaders, mentors, and coaches across California. By creating future coaches and
mentors, the organization can have exponential reach when the next
generation reaches the age to inspire the ones who come next.
- The Sanneh Foundation (Minneapolis) – The
Twin Cities area of Minnesota is a culturally-diverse major
metropolitan area with a rich soccer history and for the past 20
years the Tony Sanneh Foundation has been growing deep roots. It
has done a tremendous job to create avenues for underserved and
immigrant communities to engage with the game and they also focus
on holistic growth with initiatives like meal programs, college
prep and more. Tony Sanneh, a legend
of the U.S. National Team and a voice of huge credibility in the
U.S. soccer space, plays a huge role in the organization as a
whole.
- Heroes Soccer Club (Nashville) – Heroes Soccer Club is led by
Desmond Armstrong, who in 1990
became the first U.S. born Black player to represent the country in
a World Cup game. The club serves a diverse group of boys and girls
through its club teams and East Nashville Soccer league, including
ethnically diverse communities native to Nashville as well as immigrants from
Africa, Asia, Mexico,
and South and Central
America.
- Elephants of Harlem Soccer Club (New York City) – Elephants of Harlem Soccer
Club is a pillar in the Harlem community, providing holistic soccer
programming both on and off the field for boys and girls across the
city. The organization is made up of 75% Black and African American
youth –– a community often underserved and underrepresented in
soccer –– with 15% coming from Hispanic and Asian families.
- AYSO United SoCal Los Angeles (Los Angeles) – The south Los Angeles club is the only all African
American youth soccer team in their age group in the entire state
of California. Despite the odds,
they have built a competitive program that finished first in their
local division –– and are hoping additional investment can allow
them to start traveling to tournaments outside their region to
create opportunities for a college education that their players may
not otherwise have access to. They are focused on creating a more
diverse and representative space for Black girls in the soccer
community, with their players giving back with mentorship and
coaching.
- Football for the World (Omaha,
Neb.) – Football for the World has a mission to create a
safe place to play all over the world with projects in Uganda, Jamaica, and Canada, they set their sights on a relative
soccer desert in the United
States: Omaha, Neb. The
organization is pushing to construct five mini-pitches in five
years, creating intentional community spaces where people from
various backgrounds can connect, play, and gain the benefits of
health and wellness activities.
- Open Goal Project (Washington,
D.C.) – The Open Goal Project was founded by a D.C. native
to directly tackle the pay-to-play economic barrier in American
soccer, leading the fight for racial and social equity in American
youth soccer, and became one of the first organizations to draw
national awareness to the issue. The organization offers
competitive club soccer, rec leagues, and college identification
camps –– all completely free, and recently launched a funding
campaign to launch a second female team.
- Houston reVision
(Houston) – The mission of
ReVision is to leverage the power of community by connecting youth
with mentors, positive peers and life-changing resources. Since
2012, ReVision has worked to break the cycle of isolation among the
most profoundly disconnected youth, most of whom are caught up in
the juvenile justice system. Along with their mentorship,
restorative justice work, and social programming — reVision
provides competitive soccer programming for mostly African refugee
players from South Houston.
ABOUT PEPSICO
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by
consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200
countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more
than $86 billion in net revenue in
2022, driven by a complimentary beverage and convenient foods
portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade,
Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product
portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages,
including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail
sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in
Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo
Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that
puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will
create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries
and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter,
Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
ABOUT FOR SOCCER
For Soccer is the preeminent soccer
marketing, media, and experiences company formed through the merger
of For Soccer Ventures and Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing. For Soccer's
specialized consultancy services includes research and insights,
strategic consultancy, experiential marketing, multicultural
marketing, digital and social media marketing, creative and
content, media and distribution, public relations and
communications, sponsorship services, creative services, as well as
technical soccer expertise. For Soccer's growing owned and operated
property portfolio includes participatory and cultural events,
podcasts, OTT, experiential, and playing programs.
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