Fidelis Care, New York City FC Kick Off 2023 ‘Free Football for All’ Soccer Program
Fidelis Care, a health plan serving more than 2.6 million members across New York state, and New York City Football Club (NYCFC) will kick off this year’s “Free Football for All” program Monday, June 19 at Queens College in Flushing, Queens.
The popular, free youth soccer clinics for children ages 7 to 14 are designed to make the game more fun, safe and accessible for players across New York City boroughs, Long Island and Westchester County. Launched in 2021, “Free Football for All” has already reached more than 2,300 children.
“Fidelis Care is once again proud to partner with NYCFC to bring ‘Free Football for All’ to children across the New York metro area,” said Fidelis Care’s Vice President, Sales and Marketing, George Rodriguez. “The program promotes the importance of health, wellness, and inclusivity by encouraging kids of all backgrounds and abilities to get on the field, have fun and play soccer.”
“Free Football for All” is a welcoming environment for youth soccer players to improve their skills under the guidance of NYCFC youth program coaches while also focusing on fitness, creativity, and leadership.
“We are proud to continue our work with our partners at Fidelis Care and the ‘Free Football for All’ program for our third year, serving children throughout the New York metropolitan area,” said NYCFC’s Vice President, Partnerships, Andres Gonzalez. “Together, we have provided free soccer programming to help develop children’s skills while also teaching them important life lessons. This work makes an incredible impact in our local communities, and we are excited to continue this program through 2023.”
Fidelis Care will also partner with NYCFC for this year’s La Canchita Soccer Bloc Party community festival. The annual event features food, entertainment, and soccer, bringing families from across the New York metro region together to play and celebrate diversity.
Additionally, Fidelis Care representatives will be available at select NYCFC matches throughout the season to share enrollment and renewal information about quality, affordable health insurance.
Visit nycfc.com/youth/freefootball for more information on the schedule, locations, and registration.
About Fidelis Care
Fidelis Care is a mission-driven health plan offering quality, affordable coverage for children and adults of all ages and at all stages of life. With more than 2.6 million members statewide, Fidelis Care believes that all New Yorkers should have access to affordable, quality health insurance. Follow us on LinkedIn at linked.com/fideliscare, on Twitter at @fideliscare, Instagram at @fideliscare, and on Facebook at facebook.com/fideliscare. For more information, call Fidelis Care at 1-888-FIDELIS (1-888-343-3547) or visit fideliscare.org.
About New York City Football Club
New York City Football Club (NYCFC) is an American professional soccer team that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Eastern Conference of the League. It was announced as the League's 20th franchise on May 21, 2013 and is the first and only MLS Club located within the five boroughs of New York City. NYCFC kicked off its inaugural MLS season in March 2015 and is majority owned by City Football Group (CFG). Since its inaugural season, the Club has qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs the last seven consecutive seasons, the second-longest active playoff streak. In 2021, NYCFC won MLS Cup in the Club's first ever appearance, becoming the first professional sports franchise based in New York to win a championship in a decade. In 2022, NYCFC added to its trophy cabinet by winning Campeones Cup, the annual clash between the champions of MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.
NYCFC’s affiliate team, NYCFC II, plays in MLS NEXT Pro, a professional soccer league that completes the pro player pathway from MLS NEXT, the youth academies associated with MLS, through to MLS, the top U.S. domestic league. NYCFC II plays their home matches in Belson Stadium at St. John’s University in Queens, NY.
NYCFC’s Academy currently features teams from the U-12 to U-18 age groups and became the first Academy in the country to win back-to-back national titles at the U-19 level. NYCFC proudly supports City in the Community (CITC) foundation to use the power of soccer to uplift communities. One of the programs, New York City Soccer Initiative (NYCSI), is a first-of-its-kind public-private community partnership to open 50 mini-soccer pitches in NYC neighborhoods in five years. In 2021, NYCSI opened its 50th pitch and committed to install 26 more mini-pitches across NYC in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ which will be hosted across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.