NEW YORK CITY FC ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF CITYZENS GIVING
GLOBAL COMMUNITY INITIATIVE THAT EMPOWERS FANS TO BACK CAUSES THEY CARE ABOUT
New York City FC has announced the return of global charitable initiative, Cityzens Giving. The program funds community soccer projects run by young people, for young people, in cities around the world.
For the third year, the $500,000 commitment by City Football Group and its partners, will give fans the chance to back six community soccer projects delivered in six cities around the globe. Run by young leaders in New York City, Manchester, Melbourne, Mexico City, Beijing and Bandung in Indonesia, the projects have been created to use tackle pressing issues affecting young people in their city including health and wellness, substance abuse, unemployment and disability inclusion.
Fans of City Football Group’s family of clubs – New York City FC, Manchester City and Melbourne City FC – get the chance to decide how projects are funded by voting for the cause that inspires them the most. The more votes a project gets, the more funding it will receive.
Cityzens Giving will now fund 12 projects in total worldwide.
City Football Group Chief Executive, Ferran Soriano said: “Our Cityzens Giving initiative, now in its third year, gives our fans around the world the chance to empower young people through the universal language of soccer. We are proud to support young community soccer leaders doing inspiring work in their communities and are delighted that so many fans have chosen to participate.”
So far, more than 16,000 children and young people in nine cities have benefited from long term community soccer projects funded by Cityzens Giving. In addition to funding, all projects access leading edge training in community soccer and opportunities to share learning about how they are using what we call the ‘football effect’ to tackle social issues.
This year’s projects will be:
New York City: Combining soccer with education about health and nutrition, for the third-year Healthy Hat-Trick will support 500 young people to improve their fitness and live healthier lives.
Manchester: Back for its third year, Boots & Beats will continue to use soccer and music to engage with 400 unemployed young people and connect them with job related training and volunteering opportunities.
Melbourne: Returning to the campaign for its third year, I Speak Football will use soccer to connect 400 isolated young people and support them to make friends, build leadership skills and reduce loneliness.
Mexico City: Fútbol Matters will create a safe space for 400 children to play soccer, built by young leaders whilst teaching them skills to support their future employability
Bandung, Indonesia: Football for Change will engage 250 street children through regular soccer practice, providing education and services to prevent drug use and reduce the risk of HIV and AIDS.
Beijing: Unified Schools uses the power of soccer to improve health, build friendships and create an inclusive environment for 1,900 children with and without intellectual disabilities.
City Football Group is also continuing to fund projects in São Paulo, Cape Coast in Ghana, Kolkata, Cape Town, Barranquilla and Kuala Lumpur.
For more information on the campaign, visit Cityzens Giving here
In October 2016, Cityzens Giving won Corporate Citizenship Campaign of the Year at the annual Beyond Sport awards, designed to support and reward the best projects across the globe that are using sport for positive social change.
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