Watching sports on TV is a favorite activity of many households in this country, but real-life sports are important too – especially for kids. To encourage and promote youth sports, DIRECTV will be continuing its strong partnership with LeagueSide to support youth sports leagues through the fall season. This year, DIRECTV has sponsored over 850 youth sports leagues, directly impacting communities across the country. This partnership and the community benefits it provides will continue through 2022 with some enhanced elements – including getting up close and personal with Olympic gold medalist and pro soccer player, Sydney Leroux.
“DIRECTV is extremely proud of our partnership with Sydney Leroux through LeagueSide and the Undercover Coach program,” said Vince Torres, DIRECTV Chief Marketing Officer. “We have long believed in being good neighbors in the communities which we live and work, and this is a great example of that.”
Don’t Sideline Youth Sports
Youth sports offer benefits to individuals, families and communities that reach far beyond the time the kids spend on the field (diamond, arena or park). Outside the obvious physical health implications, youth sports also positively impact mental, emotional, and social health, educational and career success and can also create a lasting effect on a community’s economy and overall wellbeing – as documented in a study put together by the PCSFN Science Board.
Knowing this, LeagueSide is on a mission to save youth sports. To combat rising costs and dipping participation, the organization connects youth leagues with sponsorship opportunities to give everyone the opportunity to play. That’s where DIRECTV stepped in.
In addition to helping individual teams with scholarships, field maintenance, equipment costs, referee fees and more, a sweepstakes will open funding to an even broader audience of youth sports players and families.
A Chance for Everyone to Win
To open access to youth sports to even more players and their families, DIRECTV has provided young athletes an opportunity to win big. From now through November 30, 2022, parents, guardians and coaches can enter to win a $500 youth sports scholarship for their players. The twenty winners will be announced on or around December 1, 2022 by phone. See all the rules and regulations.
Undercover Coach
Women’s sports are seeing a well-deserved uptick in both participation and viewership, but the journey has not come without its hardships and obstacles. Both of which Olympic gold medalist and pro soccer player, Sydney Leroux. is unfortunately familiar with.
To bring further attention to these struggles, Sydney goes undercover as a skills coach to give a youth soccer team an unexpected lesson in empowerment.
Donning a beard, hat and fake curls, Sydney grabs her clipboard and goes to work antagonizing the talented team with overtly sexist comments about the girls’ ability to excel at sports. When the girls grow tired of the insults and speak up, Sydney peels off her disguise revealing one of the world’s best soccer players, to the team’s amazement. After hosting an open dialogue of the unjust treatment of women and girls in sports and a group hug, they all take to the field to do what they love – with some guidance and feedback from Sydney.
Get Active in the Community
Youth sports create beneficial ripples that touch on all aspects of the community, establishing bonded communities of their own. Youth sports bond people together in lifelong friendships and also help kids through teamwork and developing interpersonal skills that they can carry with them throughout their lives. The combined mission of DIRECTV and LeagueSide is simple – make youth sports more accessible to all, across gender, race and economic lines.
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