ESPN OPENS MULTI-FUNCTIONAL SPORTS SPACE IN SANTIAGUITO, XOCHIMILCO
On August 7, nearly 300 community residents of all ages, Disney and ESPN employees, sports development organizations and press gathered in Santiaguito, Xochimilco, to celebrate a new multifunctional sports space for the Mexico City community. The court and surrounding area, refurbished with the help of community residents and ESPN and Disney employees, will be home to ongoing programs for young people where they will learn job skills and be empowered to fulfil their potential -- all through the power of sports.
ESPN commentators Miroslava Montemayor and Sergio Dipp hosted the inauguration and were joined by ESPN executives Russell Wolff and Gerardo Casanova. The celebration included cultural performances, a special recognition of community leaders who volunteered their time to the project, as well as soccer matches open to the community. “At ESPN we believe that sport has the ability to transform lives, and we are committed to providing resources to enable kids in Mexico City to play sports,” said Russell Wolff, executive vice president and managing director, ESPN International. “This is our second safe space build in Mexico City and we are pleased to collaborate with love.fútbol, A Ganar, Beyond Sport, and Street Soccer Mexico once again to build this court in a community where there is a need, as it can truly make a difference.”
love.fútbol, which is known for building community sports facilities, played a key role in selecting Santiaguito, based on need, population and socio-economic status – and specifically because of the severe damage caused by the 2017 earthquake. Proudly built by the community, for the community, the court will be home to ongoing programs for young people, developed by award-winning organization, A Ganar. Across Latin America, A Ganar uses sports as a vehicle to provide communities with training that leads to employment and enables young people to achieve success in life. Local sport for development organization, Street Soccer México, has been trained in the A Ganar methodology and will deliver the program over the next eight months on the new space.
“As with our first build together in Chimalhuacán, our goal is to improve the quality of life of marginalized youth and vulnerable communities in Mexico. The Xochimilco safe space is an opportunity for young people to use sport to find their way in life and also to provide training for future employment,” said Daniel Copto, CEO and President, Street Soccer México.
"Given everything this community has gone through over the last year, we’re proud to team up with local and global organizations to ensure that young people in this community have access to a safe, accessible place to play sports,” said Gerardo Casanova, vice president and general manager, ESPN Latin America North. “We are thrilled to have been part of the build along with community residents and to be able to support this community with sports programs that inspire social change.”
The global project, led by ESPN, has now seen seven spaces built across Latin America and one in Southeast Asia, including: Bogotá, Colombia; Mexico City and Chimalhuacán, Mexico; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil; and Bangalore, India.
Video credit: Cactus Film
Photo credit: Renato Miller