Leaders From USA's Fastest Growing Sport Unite for Beyond Soccer Series, Powered by streefootballworld

NEW YORK (May 15, 2015) – Influential figures from across the US and global soccer industry will come together for a series of high-level networking events in New York City; the Beyond Soccer Series 2015, powered by streetfootballworld and backed by Major League Soccer, Barclays, Western Union and UNICEF.

Kicking off on June 22^nd at the Thomson Reuters Headquarters in Times Square, New York City, the Beyond Soccer Series will focus on soccer’s potential to lead the way in social responsibility, community development and civic and consumer engagement among sports business in the United States.

The exclusive evening event will feature panel interviews with some of the biggest names in the game, with Don Garber, Commissioner, Major League Soccer (MLS), Patrick Gaston, President, Western Union Foundation and Caryl Stern, President and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF among those taking to the stage for the first event in the 2015 series. Panellists will share their views and opinions on the different ways that soccer can be used to tackle some of the biggest issues in the world to a 200-strong audience of high-level representatives, experts and influencers.

Commenting on the launch of the Beyond Soccer Series, Don Garber, Commissioner, MLS, said: “Major League Soccer is committed to supporting communities across the United States and Canada. We want to use the world’s game to make a difference on a local level and we are proud of the philanthropic contributions of our clubs, fans, league office and corporate partners. Through our Don’t Cross the Line campaign, which is a major component of our MLS WORKS league-wide philanthropy efforts, we are leveraging our players to promote diversity and inclusion at all levels of the sport.”

Beyond Soccer will also look at the ways in which major brands are using soccer as part of their wider strategies to support positive social change and build brand value. The June event will feature Western Union and its PASS initiative which currently turns every pass on the pitch during the UEFA Europa League into better education for vulnerable children. The initiative aims to deliver one million passes for better education by the end of this year’s UEFA Europa League final. Forming a key part of Western Union’s broader Education for Better program, the initiative was launched at the UN General Assembly in September 2012 and has to date delivered funding to UNICEF in Brazil, Jamaica, Senegal, Nigeria, China, Morocco and Turkey.

Patrick Gaston, Western Union, added: “We are looking forward to being part of the Beyond Soccer Series. We firmly believe in the power of soccer to enable positive social change and the PASS initiative has demonstrated what can happen when that power is harnessed and used for good. ”

The inaugural Beyond Soccer event took place in 2011 in Cape Town and since then Beyond Sport, the global leaders in sport for social change, and streetfootballworld, the world’s leading organisation in the field of Soccer-Driven Social Change, have continued to invest in increasing the positive impact that soccer can have in communities around the world. Since 2011 Beyond Soccer has travelled to London, Philadelphia, and will come to New York for 2015, with the second event in the 2015 series taking place in early November.

Official partners of the Beyond Soccer Series 2015, powered by streetfootballworld include steetfootballworld, Barclays, UNICEF, Western Union, Major League Soccer and Thomson Reuters.

Membership for the Beyond Soccer Series 2015 starts at $495.

For more information on the Beyond Soccer Series 2015 visit www.beyondsport.org and follow @BeyondSport on Twitter.

For more information, please contact:Andrea Sioris, U.S. Fund for UNICEFE: asioris@unicefusa.orgT: 212-880-9136

Beyond SportBeyond Sport is a global organisation that promotes, develops and funds the use of sport to create positive social change across the world. 

Beyond Sport AwardsThe Beyond Sport Awards programme provides support worth $3 million annually to projects across the world that use sport to address issues within their communities.

Beyond Sport EventsBeyond Sport holds multiple gatherings and events throughout the year in different cities across the world focusing on various issues, sectors, and stakeholders, addressing how sport can be used to create positive social and business outcomes. Beyond Sport’s flagship and largest event is the annual Summit & Awards, which brings together the best sport-led social innovators with influential, global leaders to address sport's role in driving positive social change. The Beyond Sport Summit 2015 will be held in London from 19^th–21^st October.  Other events Beyond Sport holds regularly are:

• Beyond Sport United – held in New York and backed by the US major leagues – MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL and WNBA – which brings teams and leagues from around the world together to discussion how they can benefit from better engaging with communities and philanthropy
• Beyond Soccer – powered by streetfootballworld and backed by MLS, it convenes leaders in the football industry around how the world’s most popular sport can serve more as an engine for societal change
• Beyond Sport Leadership Series – supported by MIshcon De Reya, this event looks at the current challenges, issues and developments around leadership and ethics in sport
• Multiple events take place throughout the year, held jointly with Beyond Sport partners and stakeholders.

Visit www.beyondsport.org for more information.

streetfootballworld

streetfootballworld drives a network of local organizations that use soccer to provide opportunities to disadvantaged young people and builds a coalition of powerful partners to create social change.

The international non-profit organization, which has offices in Berlin, New York, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro, works with the game’s biggest players including FIFA, UEFA, Adidas and Sony to develop innovative strategies that leverage the power of soccer to do good.

streetfootballworld’s global network of over 100 network members in over 60 countries includes a growing movement of organizations using soccer to tackle social issues like unhealthy lifestyles, crime and gangs, unemployment and homelessness in North America and the Caribbean.

For more information visit www.streetfootballworld.org