The event was joined by squads from: Home Depot, Microsoft, UPS, Deloitte, Alston & Bird, King and Spalding, and the 2017 champions, AT&T. The tournament, with the sponsorship of The Aspire Group and Ernst & Young, raised over 57K.
Last Sunday, September 24th, over 300 people attended the inaugural Corporate Cup 2017, a new Soccer in the Streets’ fundraising tournaments in support of metro Atlanta’s underserved youth. The event – hosted at Grady Stadium and with the participation of eight corporate teams – was joined by squads from: Home Depot, Microsoft, UPS, Deloitte, Alston & Bird, King and Spalding, and the 2017 champions, AT&T. The tournament, with the sponsorship of The Aspire Group and Ernst & Young, raised over 57K.
"Through Corporate Cup, we experienced first hand the high level of commitment of major corporations in supporting our social impact soccer strategy," said Soccer in the Streets’ Executive Director, Phil Hill. "The collaboration and backing received from all of these corporations speaks volumes of the importance given to community social responsibility efforts and how supportive their employees are. We encourage other corporations to join us in shifting paradigms and get involved with our organization."
Off the pitch, Team Deloitte took the honors as the number one fundraising squad of the tournament, raising over $12k in total.
Team AT&T - which was organized by FACES Employee Resource Group - earned top honors on the pitch.
In its first edition, Corporate Cup 2017 saw corporate employees compete on and off the pitch to raise money for Soccer in the Streets’ social impact soccer initiative. This year featured a final match between Team AT&T and Team Alston&Bird, with AT&T claiming the Corporate Cup inaugural crown.
“Team AT&T which was organized by FACES Employee Resource Group – Atlanta Chapter was excited to volunteer and participate with Soccer in the Streets,” said Donna Barr, AT&T FACES-ERG Vice President External Affairs. “Our competitors were tough but we embraced the challenge and became the Champions of the 2017 Corporate Cup! We represent the 'Power of &' by giving back to our communities, stimulating innovation and growth. Count us in for next year!”
Off the pitch, Team Deloitte took the honors as the number one fundraising squad of the tournament, raising over $12k in total. While Carlos Vega, from Team Microsoft, was recognized for his efforts by becoming the player fundraising MVP, grossing over $2k. All proceeds benefit Soccer in the Streets' free youth programs in 31 public schools, 13 community programs, and life works program execution- a total of 44 locations - providing social change and education in underserved communities through the beautiful game. Since 2016, Soccer in the Streets has impacted over 8,500 kids, while launching the first Homeless Soccer Program of the Atlanta metro area.
“We were so proud to have Deloitte enter this tournament. It was a great opportunity to raise awareness and funds for a worthy cause, get to know our colleagues better, and network with other companies in the Atlanta area,” said Rebecca Dupree, Team Deloitte’s captain. “The event was so well organized and executed, we can’t wait to participate again!”
Since 1989, Soccer in the Streets provides access and opportunities to disadvantaged children in urban neighborhoods. Using soccer as the medium, the non-profit has instilled healthy lifestyle choices to thousands of children. The organization centers its holistic programs on character development, life skills, mentoring, and employability improvement. Since its establishment, the non-profit ensures all children have a chance to succeed both on and off the field, pursuing inclusion and diversity in every community where it has a presence.
