For Soccer Ventures Announces 2022 Plans for Black Star To Extend Impact in Black Soccer Communities

Press Release (ePRNews.com) - NEW YORK - Jul 20, 2022 - For Soccer Ventures (FSV), an independent media and experiences company focused on the growth and long-term development of American soccer, today announced the calendar of events for Black Star. Launched in 2021 in Detroit and Los Angeles, the program is committed to celebrating the diversity of Black soccer culture, increasing access to the sport, and providing coaching and player development pathways, on and off the field. Black Star’s successful launch in 2021 allowed the program to reach many players, coaches, and families, while providing free soccer programming. A deepened and expanded presence is needed to continue supporting Black soccer communities to drive sustainable impact on a national level. In addition to soccer programming, Black Star strives to build community through content, storytelling, experiences, and capsule collections.

Starting in July, 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.

As part of the announcement, adidas, Paramount+, Buzzer, and Boyd Parker Sports Group’s HBCU Soccer ID Camps were revealed as official athletic apparel, media, corporate, and soccer partners, respectively.

“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.” – Patrick Rose, Director, Black Star

“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.” – Skate Noftsinger, Director, Sports Marketing Soccer North America at adidas

“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.” – Dexter Mason, Head of Social Impact & DEI Strategy at Buzzer.

The calendar for 2022 Black Star includes:

• Washington, D.C: July 23-24, 2022
• Detroit: September 24-25, 2022
• Los Angeles: November 12-13, 2022
• Houston: November 19-20, 2022

“The Black community has been foundational to the grassroots growth of soccer in the U.S., but until very recently, Black culture has been mostly excluded from domestic soccer culture. We’re excited to continue the work that we started in 2021 to partner with and support existing Black soccer programs through development and educational pathways, content and storytelling, and experiences that build community,” – Patrick Rose, Director, Black Star.

For registration and more information please visit http://www.blackstarsoccer.com and follow Black Star social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

About For Soccer Ventures

For Soccer Ventures (FSV) is a media and experiences company, leading a collaborative movement to connect brands and platforms to the diverse American soccer community through immersive storytelling, properties, activations and strategic services. Uniquely positioned within the industry, the company’s mission is to advance soccer in the United States, both on and off the field.  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.

About 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.

For more information about Paramount+, please visit http://www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.

About 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

About 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.

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.

To learn more, download Buzzer on iOS in the App Store and Android in the Google Play Store, visit www.buzzer.com, and follow @Buzzer on Twitter and Instagram and @BuzzerStrive on Twitter.