New York City Football Club (NYCFC) has been named a finalist for this year’s ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award. NYCFC is the first New York sports team ever to be nominated for this Team of the Year Award and is being recognized for using the power of sport to make a positive impact on society by transforming lives and uplifting communities.

The winner will be announced during an award ceremony which will take place at L.A. LIVE’s The Novo on Tuesday, July 11.

NYCFC ownership, City Football Group (CFG), has a long-standing tradition of community initiatives in NYC, which started with the building of a rooftop pitch in East Harlem alongside the UAE Embassy. NYCFC was officially launched on that same pitch in 2013 and community has been a central tenet of NYCFC activities ever since.

City in the Community (CITC), the charity proudly supported by NYCFC, was then launched in 2014. CITC uses soccer to tackle social issues around health, education and crime prevention throughout New York City. Together, NYCFC and CITC are impacting more than 4,000 young people each week.

Health

One third of children in NYC’s public elementary schools are obese or overweight. To address this staggering statistic, CITC provides free programs that promote fitness and healthy eating habits, including school sports sessions, youth led community soccer festivals, an annual “City Schools Cup,” and a health and nutrition curriculum called “Healthy Hat-trick.”

Safer Communities

NYCFC is committed to increasing the physical space for communities to play soccer and has constructed three soccer pitches to date. Last year, NYCFC and its partners announced “New York City Soccer Initiative,” a commitment to build 50 mini-pitches over a 5-year period. The Initiative will also provide free programming at all of the pitch sites.

To address rising levels of crime and youth violence and to improve community relations with local law enforcement, CITC has partnered with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on “Saturday Night Lights” to offer soccer during times when crime levels are at their highest.

Youth Leadership

NYCFC provides pathways for young leaders to tackle issues in their community in policy, practice and advocacy service through its “Youth Leadership Council” and “Young Leader Training Program.”

Additionally, both staff and fans are actively involved in volunteering, from speed mentoring with NYC Service to supporting homeless shelters, totaling more than 1,000 volunteer hours this season.

ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award

This year, NYCFC’s fellow ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award finalists include: Chicago White Sox (MLB), Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) and San Francisco 49ers (NFL). The award ceremony will be hosted by Laila Ali and ESPN’s Mike Greenberg. Highlights of the evening will be showcased during a one-hour program on ESPN, July 25, at 7 p.m. ET.

The finalists and winners have been determined by an independent selection committee, which includes: Nick Keller, Founder and President of Beyond Sport, Donald Lassere, CEO of the Muhammad Ali Center, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, CEO of Laureus USA, Sab Singh, Founder of Sports Doing Good, Caryl Stern, CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and Eli Wolff, Director of the Sport and Development Project at Brown University.

The winner will be able to direct a $100,000 grant from ESPN to the qualified charity related to the award-winning humanitarian efforts. The finalists will be able to direct a $25,000 grant to the charity related to their award-winning efforts.

Quotes

NYCFC President, Jon Patricof, commented: “We have seen that soccer has the power to change lives – not only on health, but with the social connections it creates, and the joy it provides. The scale and the diverse range of our community programs, that use soccer to reach 4,000+ young people each week, make our community work special.

“With more people playing soccer than ever before, we are committed to creating safe places to play across the five boroughs – with the construction of 50 NYC pitches alongside our current in-school and after-school free soccer programs, we can make a real and lasting impact on the health and happiness of New Yorkers.”

NYCFC Head Coach, Patrick Vieira, echoed the sentiments: “This is what we try to do, to represent New York City. We work in the community every single day because we know soccer can help people and make communities better.”

NYCFC Team Captain, David Villa, said: “I have been at NYCFC from the start so I have seen that community is at the center of everything we do as a Club. I am proud of that. I am proud to be part of a Club that uses soccer to make a difference and wants to make our NYC home even better. I am a dad myself so I enjoy working with the CITC NY schools projects where the kids can play and use soccer to teach healthy habits.

“For example, when I signed my contract extension last month, we all made it a priority to celebrate with the kids from the CITC program at P.S. 49.”

NYCFC Director of Community, Paul Jeffries, concluded: “Soccer, under the guidance of a coach or mentor, can empower young people with critical leadership skills and instill lifelong values of teamwork and friendship. In the communities we serve, our programs have proven to be an essential need for young people where it can be easier to join a gang than a team. At our best, we can serve as a source of strength and inspiration to help young people to believe in themselves and to achieve their potential.”