LA Galaxy unveiled new mini-pitch at Andrew Jackson Elementary School

The LA Galaxy and forward Giovani dos Santos unveiled a mini-soccer pitch at Andrew Jackson Elementary School in Santa Ana on Friday, March 4 in conjunction with adidas, MLS Works, Southern New Hampshire University, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation ahead of the team’s opening MLS match on March 6^th.

Santa Ana Unified School District Officials were also on hand for a dedication ceremony for the mini-pitch, which will offer children in the local communities a safe place to play while providing a soccer environment that encourages unstructured play and supports the continued growth of the game.

In addition to LA Galaxy forward Giovani dos Santos, LA Galaxy President Chris Klein was also on hand for the ceremony to help dedicate the mini-pitch at Andrew Jackson Elementary School.

Following the official dedication, local participants from the Santa Ana Police Athletic and Activity League and LA Galaxy players participated in a small-sided match on the new pitch. Since September 2007, the SAPAAL and Jackson Elementary have partnered to engage over 1,100 students daily with consistent and rigorous physical fitness programming. This partnership has resulted in Jackson students posting the top California Physical Fitness Test scores in the entire school district, year after year. In collaboration with SAPAAL, the LA Galaxy will incorporate soccer programs and clinics at the new mini-pitch to continue serving children throughout the Santa Ana community.

Additionally, the LA Galaxy participated in Read Across America Week, which culminated on Friday, March 4, at Andrew Jackson Elementary School. Read Across America is an annual celebration that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading. LA Galaxy representatives (Star Squad, Staff members and LA Galaxy Academy players) visited five local elementary schools to read to classrooms in continuation of their Read Across America weeklong celebration ahead of the mini-pitch grand opening event on Friday, March 4. All schools visited were also encouraged to sign-up their classrooms for the LA Galaxy Kick Start Reading Challenge, which incentivizes students to read in and out of the classroom.