Black Star has a new calendar of events aimed to celebrate African-American soccer culture diversity as part of the long-term development of For Soccer Ventures (FSV) to increase American soccer growth with free programming. The investment, independent media and experiences company has a four-city tour across the U.S. beginning with Washington DC, followed by Detroit, Los Angeles and Houston. Besides increasing awareness of the sport to interested youth and their family members, a variety of expert coaching along with player development steps, both on and off the field, will help springboard boys and girls towards a more healthy soccer lifestyle they can carry with them throughout their lives. The Sports Techie community blog welcomes news about business not in operation strictly for the money and bottom-line priorities, instead many of the black-owned businesses near where the events are located are focused on like-minded, big-picture initiates. The FSV philanthropy arm pledged $50 million to seek out, acquire and manage businesses in order to grow soccer throughout the United States. After Black Star’s launch in 2021 in Motown and LA, the program was successful influencing attending players, families and coaches alike as well as supporting the soccer communities. To make it even better, adidas, Paramount+, Buzzer, and Boyd Parker Sports Group’s HBCU Soccer ID Camps were recognized this year as the official apparel, media, corporate, and soccer partner.
Black Star Legacy Rollout
FSV is using Black Stars to foster community building through an assortment of content, storytelling, experiences, and capsule collections.
Beginning this weekend, Black Star will host on-field soccer programming and pop-up events alongside local Black-owned businesses in Washington, D.C., Detroit, Los Angeles, and Houston. This year’s soccer programs will include youth clinics, U.S. Soccer Coaching Clinics and Talent ID Workshops, an HBCU Soccer ID Camp, and elite showcase ID programs in which players will have the opportunity to be evaluated for collegiate and professional soccer opportunities.
Committed to growing the game across genders, Black Star’s first event in Washington, D.C. on July 23-24, 2022 will include a Girls Elite Showcase, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. D.C. partner organizations include: U.S. Soccer, D.C. United, the Washington Spirit, DC SCORES, D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, and D.C. Cup. In addition, Black Star will focus on supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), teaming up with HBCU Soccer ID Camps in Houston to provide college soccer recruiting opportunities for players.
“Black Star is grateful to have adidas, Buzzer, and Boyd Parker Sports Group’s HBCU Soccer ID Camps as partners. In addition, we are really excited to announce Paramount+ as Black Star’s partner in Washington, D.C., Houston, Detroit, and Los Angeles to help us in our important work of both growing the game and inspiring the next generation of youth and coaches in these communities,” said Patrick Rose, Director, Black Star.
Paramount+
Paramount+ combines live sports, breaking news and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world’s biggest and most popular soccer leagues. Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream other live channels: CBSN for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis and ET Live for entertainment coverage.
adidas
adidas is the global leader in football. It is the official supplier of the most important football tournaments in the world, such as the FIFA World Cup™, the UEFA EuropeanChampionship, the UEFA Champions League & Major League Soccer. adidas also sponsors some of the world’s top clubs including Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Bayern Munich & Juventus, as well as top Federations such as Germany (DFB), Spain (RFEF), Belgium (RBFA), Argentina (AFA) & (as of January 2023) Italy (FIGC). adidas is also partner to some of the best athletes in the game including Leo Messi, Vivianne Miedema, Paul Pogba, Mohamed Salah, Wendie Renard, Paulo Dybala,Trinity Rodman, Karim Benzema, Catarina Macario, Jude Bellingham, Jennifer Hermoso, Serge Gnabry, Pedri, Joao Felix & Lindsey Horan.
Skate Noftsinger, Director, Sports Marketing Soccer North America at adidas, added, “We are proud to partner with Black Star as they continue the important work of promoting access and inclusion within the Black soccer community. At adidas, we believe that through sport we have the power to change lives and our Black Star partnership brings this ethos to life.”
Buzzer
Buzzer is a new notification-driven mobile platform for short-form live sports personalized for fans. Founded in 2020 by Bo Han, Buzzer simplifies the discovery and viewing experience of live sports in a short-form live format, providing curated and personalized access to live sports on mobile so fans never have to miss the most exciting moments in sports. Buzzer further enhances the fan experience with its multi-channel daily newsletter, Buzzer Beats, a one-stop digest to find why, when and how to watch live games.
“Since day one, Buzzer, Strive and Black Star have been committed to leveling the playing field for the Black community. For Soccer Ventures’ plans for 2022 will increase access to the game of soccer on and off-the-field for HBCU students, women and youth. We are excited and proud to expand our partnership with the Black Star and know that we will continue to see great moments and long-term impact as a result,” stated Dexter Mason, Head of Social Impact & DEI Strategy at Buzzer.
Headquartered in New York, Buzzer believes in hiring the best talent and is committed to fairness and inclusion. Buzzer administers a mentorship program focused on cultivating a community of industry leaders across sport, technology, and media paired with mentees from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as part of its broader Strive Initiative.
Download the Buzzer app for iOS or Android users .
2022 Black Star Scheduled Events:
- Washington, D.C: July 23-24, 2022
- Detroit: September 24-25, 2022
- Los Angeles: November 12-13, 2022
- Houston: November 19-20, 2022
For registration and more information please visit www.blackstarsoccer.com and follow Black Star social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Sports Techie, time will tell whether there will be both a measurable and sustainable impact on Black soccer communities, however, come July, the Black Star program begins. My gut tells me it will be a win/win/win for all.
Black Stars program comes on the heels of Footycon by FSV last year, and the first ever US focused, soccer podcast network in 2020.
FSV’s host of capabilities and properties are aimed at putting the fan and player first. Its current properties and investments include Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, Alianza de Futbol, Black Star, FootyCon, The Association, JUGOtv, YSC Academy, YSC Sports, APL Leagues and Tournaments, Best Soccer Show Podcast, Orange Slices Podcast, and the FSV Soccer Influencer Network.
Spread the good word about Black Star.
It could be coming to your city, next year.
See you later sportstechie in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world!
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