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In the lead-up to the long-anticipated All-Star match between MLS and LIGA MX on Wednesday, Aug. 25, Major League Soccer, MLS WORKS, the League’s social responsibility platform, and our partners are uniting to make a lasting impact in the communities where we live and play our games.
MLS All-Star Week brings more than a premier soccer match to the Los Angeles area. Throughout the week preceding the game, volunteerism, charitable activities, soccer celebrations and community outreach events will enrich the community and provide a lasting legacy.
The League will harness the power of our soccer community to support the local LA area by providing meals to those experiencing food insecurity, unveiling a new soccer mini-pitch for youth, hosting a candid conversation on building wealth equity within the Black community, donating to after school programs and more.
The following are just some of the ways the MLS and the League’s All-Star Game will positively impact the community.
MLS WORKS Day of Service presented by Wells Fargo
To kick off MLS All-Star week festivities, MLS WORKS, the League’s social responsibility platform, Wells Fargo, #HashtagLunchbag, MLS Greats and local fans will give back to the city of Los Angeles on Sunday, Aug. 22 at Christmas Tree Lane in Exposition Park. Volunteers, including MLS Greats, Cobi Jones and Nick Rimando, and Liga MX Greats, Luis Hernández and Pavel Pardo, will pack 1,500 fresh lunches with food sourced from diverse vendors. Lunches will be distributed to individuals experiencing food insecurity including homeless LGBTQ youth and people living on Skid Row, families in public housing developments as well as those impacted by job loss, and individuals in women’s shelters and elderly homes, across the downtown area and South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, and Hollywood.
Volunteers will also help assemble and pack 2,500 backpacks with school supplies which will be distributed to youth in elementary and middle schools throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District. Fans interested in participating in this community service event may register for a volunteer shift HERE.
MLS WORKS All-Star Community Day presented by Target
The 2021 MLS WORKS All-Star Community Day presented by Target will take place on Monday, August 23 at Charles R. Drew Middle School. MLS All-Stars will join MLS, Los Angeles Football Club, Target, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, ThinkWatts Foundation, and the Los Angeles Unified School District to unveil a new soccer mini-pitch and celebrate MLS All-Star week with the Los Angeles community.
The soccer mini-pitch system is an innovative, all-in-one solution designed to help communities create fun, active and safer play spaces. The modular system is complete with lighting, fencing, goals, benches, ADA-accessible gates, and lockable storage. The new mini-pitch will provide an inclusive place for local community members to play, while also supporting local youth programming,
As part of the mini-pitch unveiling, MLS and Target will announce a commitment to provide year-long soccer programming for the Watts community. In collaboration with the ThinkWatts Foundation, up to 500 local youth will have an opportunity to participate in Soccer for Success, the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s free after-school program. The introduction of soccer and community programming will help set the groundwork for LAFC and the LAFC Foundation’s long-term commitment to enabling access and growing the game amongst Black and Brown youth, while building a soccer culture to ensure the sustainability and cementing of the sport among youth, families, and members of the Watts community.
Festivities will kick off with representatives from MLS, LAFC, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the Los Angeles Unified School District and ThinkWatts Foundation participating in a dedication ceremony to officially unveil the new pitch, which showcases windscreen artwork designed by local students in collaboration with Design FC. 26 students from various schools in Watts designed art that visually expresses what means most to them, what they want the world to know about Watts, what the future of their city looks like and the social issues they want to be addressed. Over 200 linear feet of designs will permanently be displayed on the mini-pitch.
Barbershop Forum
As part of the League’s commitment to drive positive social change and foster more just, inclusive, and equitable communities, MLS WORKS, in collaboration with 100 Black Men of America (the 100) and Black Players for Change (BPC) welcome you to a candid conversation on building wealth equity within the Black community.
“Barbershop Forum – Wealth Equity: Building Bridges to Prosperity” will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 24 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT. Fans are encouraged to tune-in online to watch the streamed conversation on MLSSoccer.com, YouTube.com/MLS, and Twitter.com/MLS.
In the book, The Miracles of Mentoring, Thomas W. Dortch Jr. reminisces on a familiar scene where African American men discuss the issues of the community while sharing knowledge and opinions with youth. The barbershop has always been somewhat of a cultural rite of passage, where wisdom is shared with the next generation of men. During this Barbershop Forum, a panel of influential men will discuss the importance of building and sustaining wealth equity within the black community through Education and Mentorship, Ownership and Entrepreneurship, Economic Development and Equitable Access to Capital.
Moderated by TV personality DeMarco Morgan and with opening remarks from MLS Commissioner Don Garber, featured panelists will include:
- Thomas W. Dortch Dr., Chairman 100 Black Men of America, Inc. – Thomas W. Dortch, Jr., is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TWD, Inc. and Chairman of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. In 1990, he became the State Director and served as Chief Administrator for United States Senator, Sam Nunn. He is a member of Operation Hope Board of Trustees, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Board of Trustees, Clark Atlanta University Board of Trustees and is Chairman of The Board, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. Mr. Dortch has had guest appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Fox News Channel the O’Reilly Factor, C-SPAN, Talk Back Atlanta, National Press Club, CNN, Good Day Atlanta, and MBC Town Hall Meeting. Mr. Dortch is a much sought-after speaker on an international, national level to governmental entities, corporations and educational institutions.
- Quincy Amarikwa, MLS Great and Founder Black Players for Change – Quincy Obina Amarikwa, is Founder and Director of Strategic Partnerships of Black Players For Change (BPC), CEO of Perfect Soccer, Evolve NFTs and Co-Managing Partner Leverage Investment Group (LIG). He serves as advisor to the BPC Executive Board, fundraising and securing partnerships. Most notably: Players Coalition, U.S. Soccer Foundation, Musco Lighting, Adidas, New York Red Bulls, Black Women’s Player Collective, New York City FC, MLSPA, Independent Supporters Council, Etihad Airways and Mayor’s Fund. When not on the soccer field, UC Davis Hall Of Fame member Amarikwa invests in furthering his philanthropic, educational and entrepreneurial ventures. Amarikwa’s mission is to use soccer as a vehicle to create over 1 Billion self disciplined, self sufficient, focused, goal oriented individuals. Through his mentality coaching and hosting the #AskASoccerPro Show, Amarikwa is creating a new generation of soccerpreneurs.
- Ashley Bell, Co-founder, National Black Bank Foundation – Ashley Daniel Bell is a partner at Dentons LLP, the world’s largest law firm. Leveraging his extensive experience with both the public and private sectors, Ashley develops solutions to effectively bridge the intersection of business, law and government. Ashley serves as the General Counsel for the National Black Bank Foundation and the $250 million Black Bank Fund, and in this role, facilitated the refinance of the construction loan for the Emory Sports Medicine Complex with a syndicate of Black-owned banks. The $35 million loan marks the first time a professional sports franchise has had a significant loan underwritten exclusively by Black banks.
- Sola Winley, MLS EVP & Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer – Sola’s 27-year career includes tenures with the National Football League, A+E Television Networks and leading his own strategic and management consulting firm. As the founder and principal of Brown Angel Advisors and ProVision Consulting, Inc., he partnered with CEOs and advised management on leadership and organizational development, executive coaching, diversity and inclusion and corporate communications across a range of industries.
- Dr. William Pickard, Chairman and Founder – William F. Pickard, PhD is Chairman and Founder of GAA Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management, GAA New Ventures, Co-Managing Partner MGM Grand Detroit Casino, CEO of Bearwood Management McDonald’s and co-owner of five black-owned newspapers. GAA has generated more than $5 billion dollars in sales with eight plants in the U.S. and Canada. He has served on numerous business and non-profit boards. In 2001, Pickard was awarded Michiganian of the Year. Dr. Pickard is also creating a new generation of entrepreneurs with through his book Millionaire Moves – Seven Proven Principles of Entrepreneurship.
MLS All-Star Concert presented by Heineken
Grammy-winning Haitian-Canadian producer and DJ Kaytranada, and Grammy-winning rapper, producer and songwriter Big Boi, will co-headline the MLS All-Star Concert presented by Heineken on Tuesday, August 24 in Los Angeles at The Torch.
Concert tickets are $15 and will benefit World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization that uses the power of food to nourish communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond. World Central Kitchen is a team of food first responders, mobilizing with the urgency of now to get meals to those who need them most.
MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G
The MLS vs. LIGA MX rivalry will reach a new level as the two leagues face off in the 2021 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G on Aug. 24 (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). On behalf of the winning team, MLS WORKS will make a donation to LAFC Foundation to benefit their community partner Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), an organization that gives underserved kids equitable opportunities to succeed through a comprehensive array of after-school academic, arts, athletics and wellness programs. Funds will support youth programming and to beautify and refurbish HOLA’s futsol court.
Also, during the Skills Challenge, AT&T will pledge $500 for every static target hit and $1K for every moving target (up to $25,000) towards HOLA to give underserved students access to connected learning tools to help them engage in successful remote learning. AT&T is making a $2 billion commitment to help close the digital divide and narrow the homework gap for the millions of children that lack the connectivity to do homework or learn at home.
MLS Sustainability
As part of continued efforts to promote healthy, sustainable communities throughout the United States, Canada and areas in need throughout the rest of the world, MLS will offset a portion of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with All-star week festivities (hotel accommodations, on-site transportation, staff, player, executive and MLS guest travel and stadium operations at Banco California Stadium) by purchasing Carbon credits in partnership with South Pole to support the Envira project in Brazil’s Amazon basin which protects 39,300 hectares of tropical forests from logging and encroaching cattle ranches, simultaneously preserving the areas rich biodiversity and mitigating the release of over 1,250,000 tons of CO2 emissions on average each year.
Since 2018, MLS has compensated 26,216 tons of CO2e associated with hotel accommodations, ground transportation, staff, player, executive and MLS guest travel, and stadium operations as part of MLS All-Star Week and MLS Cup, in addition to player travel during the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. MLS also offset emissions associated with club travel for the entire 2019 MLS regular season including flights, ground transportation and accommodations and a portion of the 2020 regular season travel. This is the equivalent to the emissions generated from 20,923 road trips from Vancouver to Miami or 39,000 commercial one-way flights from San Jose to Montreal and corresponds to the volume of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere by over 3.5 million Pine Trees in one year, which would cover more than 4,600 soccer stadium pitches. MLS is committed to supporting international and domestic reforestation projects as part of its future commitment to offset a portion of its Carbon footprint.
