Street Soccer USA Hosted Annual Times Square Cup

Oct 30, 2023 SUSTAINABILITY

Street Soccer USA hosted their annual Times Square Cup on Saturday, October 7, 2023. UNIQLO USA is celebrating 10 years of partnership with Street Soccer, which is a non-profit organization that offers soccer-based life skills programs for youth living in poverty to experience the joy of sports. UNIQLO US is the official apparel sponsor of Street Soccer USA but has engaged with the organization in many ways to bring The Power of Clothing to the athletes and coaches, including hosting community shopping events, volunteering at games, tournaments, and practices, and providing additional monetary and product donation over the years through special campaigns. The Annual Times Square Cup shuts down and entire section of Times Square in NYC and installs soccer playing fields. The day is full of games from youth athletes, corporate teams, and some professional soccer players.

At the Times Square Cup, UNIQLO hosted a hiring tent for athletes, coaches, and other stakeholders to engage with our recruitment team on careers at UNIQLO. Additionally, we had over 15 UNIQLO SSC and store members acting as volunteers for the event - helping with groundskeeping, score keeping, tidy, set-up, etc. Lastly, UNIQLO offered a corporate team to play in the tournament, which requires a $5,000 donation contribution.

“I’m so grateful to have UNIQLO, who has supported us for so many years and being the great partner they’ve always been.” - Lawrence Cann, Founder and CEO of Street Soccer USA

For the first time ever, UNIQLO USA also handed out the “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work Award”. This award was given to two individuals who exemplify exceptional sportsmanship, guidance, and leadership to their team, fellow athletes, and coaches. The individuals were awarded with a shopping spree at UNIQLO! The award was presented by UNIQLO’s Head of Global Marketing, Masahiko Nakasuji, with support from Fast Retailing’s Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Sheneque Alexander.

“Since the start of our partnership in 2013, it has been a joy to provide our apparel for Street Soccer USA teams, and see these young players excel on and off the field,” said Yoshihide Shindo, UNIQLO USA CEO. “The Times Square Cup is something our team members always look forward to, and we are excited to present the first ‘Teamwork Makes the Dream Work’ award this year, recognizing two individuals who have displayed exceptional sportsmanship, guidance, and leadership to their fellow players and coaches.”

UNIQLO USA is proud to be the apparel sponsor for Street Soccer USA, and we are looking forward to continued work in the future.

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