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FC Barcelona, “Malaria No More” and American Youth Soccer Children visit the NYSE to mark FC Barcelona’s partnership with Malaria No More and AYSO to help raise money to combat Malaria, a cureable disease that kills more than 1 million African children each year. In honor of the occasion, FC Barcelona President Joan LaPorta, “Malaria No More” Chairman and NewsCorp President and COO Peter Chernin, and former NY Cosmo and AYSO Executive Director Rick Davis ring The Opening BellSM , joined by children from American Youth Soccer Children (AYSO).
Click the link below to view an archived webcast of The Opening Bell.
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Along with Malaria No More and the 600,000-member American Youth Soccer Organization, FC Barcelona will launch a massive “More Than A Club: Kick It To Malaria” campaign, including a 4-on-4 charity tournament in the streets of New York City; a grassroots campaign to engage AYSO players, parents, and coaches through the 2008 season with special fundraising incentives; a special-edition Malaria No More-FCB jersey for the games in the United States and on-the-ground efforts to combat malaria through FCB’s soccer academies in Africa (starting with Mali).
In 2006, FC Barcelona announced that it would donate its title sponsorship to UNICEF for the next 5 years, forgoing more than $100M in revenues. In addition, they donate more than $2 million to Unicef each year.
Peter Chernin is Chairman of Malaria No More, President and COO of NYSE-listed NewsCorp, and Chairman and CEO of the Fox Group.
Joan LaPorta is the President of FC Barcelona, and heads the law firm Laporta & Arbos.
Rick Davis is the National Executive Director of AYSO, a former member of the New York Cosmos (NASL), a former captain of the U.S. National soccer team, and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
FC Barcelona
Football Club Barcelona was founded in 1899, and was a charter member of Spain ’s La Liga in 1928. The club won the first La Liga championship, and has won a total of 18 league championships. On an international scale, the club also owns 2 UEFA Championship League titles, 4 UEFA Cup Winner’s Cups, and 2 European Super Cup Trophies. FC Barcelona was considered the third-richest club in the world following the 2006-2007 season, and holds 12 major sponsors, including Nike and Coca-Cola. In 2006, the club made a five-year agreement with UNICEF to both wear its logo on their game shirts, and donate $1.9 million U.S. to UNICEF each year for the next five years. FC Barcelona will play its final two preseason matches here in the US , squaring off against MLS’ CD Chivas USA at Soldier Field, in Chicago, on Monday August 4th, and New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Thursday August 7th. For more information about FC Barcelona, log on to http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english. Tickets for both preseason matches are available through the MLS website, http://web.mlsnet.com, or by calling 1-877-CHIVAS-1 for the CD Chivas game, or 1-877-RBSOCCER for the Red Bulls’ game.
Malaria No More
Malaria No More is a non-profit organization, founded in 2006, at the White House Summit on Malaria by American Red Cross, UNICEF, Global Business Coalition, United Way , Millennium Promise, The Global Fund and the United Nations Foundation. Though malaria was eliminated in the United States in 1951, it still exists as an endemic in 106 countries, specifically those in Africa , where it kills approximately 3,000 children per day. The organization’s most-notable campaign has been in conjunction with Malaria Awareness Day (first declared on April 25, 2007 by President George W. Bush). Fox’s hit show American Idol held the ‘Idol Gives Back Campaign from April 24th-25th, which raised over $70 million for non-profit organizations such as Malaria No More. George and Laura Bush also spoke about the White House’s collaboration with the organization to send over 500,000 bed nets to Africa , an integral part of protecting children from disease-carrying insects. Malaria No More’s celebrity spokespeople include Ashley Judd and David Beckham. For more information, visit www.malarianomore.org
AYSO
AYSO is a national, non-profit organization founded in 1964, which aims to provide soccer development and instruction for children ages 4-19, in all 50 states and some territories. Along with the organization’s local programs run by volunteers, it also owns the National Support and Training Center in Hawthorne , Calif. , which features 50 paid employees who instruct the program’s volunteer referees and coaches. AYSO is affiliated with the United State Soccer Federation, and has 12 major sponsors, including McDonald’s and Capri Sun Sport. For more information, log onto the AYSO website, http://soccer.org.
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