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WASHINGTON D.C., (4/8/20) – The Washington Spirit and non-profit DC SCORES today announced a multi-year deal making DC SCORES an official community partner of the Washington Spirit.
DC SCORES uses a unique combination of soccer, poetry, and service-learning to create neighborhood teams that give 3,000 kids in need the confidence and skills to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom, and in life.
The Spirit is the professional women’s soccer team currently based at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md. Launched in 2012, the Spirit play in the NWSL, the premier women’s soccer league in North America.
The organizations have collaborated regularly over the past year in pursuit of spreading both interest in and access to soccer, particularly for girls and young women throughout the
Washington, D.C. community. Over the course of that collaboration, the club provided tickets for DC SCORES poet-athletes to attend Spirit games at Audi Field, and Spirit players attended DC SCORES program and fundraising events.
In 2020, the Spirit are scheduled to play some of their home games at Audi Field in Washington, DC, part of a larger goal to increase the club’s presence in the city. DC SCORES, the largest provider of free after-school programming in the District, will celebrate its 25th Anniversary.
Specific goals for the partnership include:
- Growing the number of girls in the region playing soccer
- Giving female DC SCORES participants more opportunities to see and work with professional female role models
- Providing Spirit players more opportunities for local, team-related community service, and increase awareness and visibility of the Spirit and its impact in the DC community.
DC SCORES is also the Official Community Partner of D.C. United. By working with both of the area’s professional soccer franchises, SCORES poet-athletes will have exposure to the game at an unprecedented level for a youth sports non-profit. The Spirit will provide a 30-second video spot for DC SCORES on the big screen at all matches the Spirit plays at Audi Field; provide seats for DC SCORES for each of the Spirit’s matches at Audi Field; and feature original poems by DC SCORES participants in every home game program.
The wide-ranging partnership will establish the Spirit as an official sponsor of SCORES’ notable events, including the annual Audi Field gala, One Night One Goal (now rescheduled for this fall); the region’s largest corporate soccer tournament, SCORES Cup (scheduled for August 29, 2020); and events for DC SCORES poet-athletes, including soccer events Fall Frenzy and Jamboree, and poetry events Our Words Our City and the city-wide Poetry Slams. In addition, a Spirit executive will have a seat on the SCORES Board of Directors, and SCORES will provide opportunities for Spirit Academy coaches to identify, train, and develop DC SCORES players as future Homegrown Players.
The Spirit – SCORES relationship is a long-standing one, with unique connections. Notably, former Spirit player Joanna Lohman is SCORES’ Community Ambassador, appeared in a 2019 documentary featuring SCORES, Soccer in the City, and helped kick off the SCORES “At Home Poetry Challenge,” part of SCORES at Home, DC SCORES’ full online learning portal, which is updated daily with new soccer and writing lessons which will run while regular programming is suspended for COVID-19.
“DC Scores is a perfect partner for us”, said Spirit Head of Communications and Community Relations Nicole Hawkins. “Their mission of providing kids the confidence and skills they need to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom and in life is in alignment with what we as an organization are working to accomplish. We are excited to work together to make a positive impact on young people in the Washington, DC area.
DC SCORES CEO Bethany Henderson added, “DC SCORES kids are an equal mix of boys and girls, so we’re especially excited to partner with the Spirit to give female DC SCORES participants more opportunities to see and work with professional female role models.”
While traditional programming is on hold for COVID-19, the organizations look forward to supporting the community with content in the meantime — like the Spirit’s recent Twitch replay of their match vs. the North Carolina Courage, and distance learning like SCORES at Home.
For questions about the Spirit-SCORES partnership please contact:
For the Washington Spirit: Mason Cavalier at 240.818.3740
For DC SCORES: Michael Holstein at 202.441.6465
