Subaru of America, Inc. and the Philadelphia Union yesterday unveiled the Subaru Park Camden Mini-Pitch, a hard surfaced youth soccer pitch located at Camden’s Ralph Williams Memorial Park. The Mini-Pitch is located in Camden, New Jersey, the home of Subaru of America, as the automaker remains devoted to showing support to the community year around. Built in partnership with the Philadelphia Union, Philadelphia’s Major League Soccer team, the pitch provides a safe place for local youth to learn, practice and play soccer on a smaller sized professional pitch.
At the grand opening Subaru also presented a check for $10,000 to the YMCA of Greater Philadelphia to support Soccer for Success®, a free after-school program that teaches kids in Camden City the fundamentals of soccer and the importance of teamwork while building confidence through soccer coach-mentors and family engagement. Subaru and the Philadelphia Union hosted a youth soccer clinic at the grand opening, inviting YMCA youth to practice their soccer skills with members of the Philadelphia Union team.
“Soccer inspires kids all over the world to get outside and have fun, and we’re excited to officially open the Subaru Park Camden Mini-Pitch as a place in the neighborhood where kids in the Camden area can learn one of the world’s most popular sports, develop a love of the game and make lasting memories,” said Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Subaru of America, Inc. “We’re also pleased to support youth soccer in our very own backyard with the donation to the YMCA Soccer for Success program and know this partnership will provide a great opportunity for Camden youth to stay active and gain leadership skills on and off the field.”
“When we first met with Subaru and formed this partnership in 2020 our sincere hope was for our work together to be a symbol of commitment to our communities in Chester and Camden,” said Tim McDermott, Philadelphia Union President. “We believe that growing the beautiful game starts with providing safe spaces to play for children of all ages at their local parks and playgrounds, like the Subaru Park Camden Community Soccer Field.”
Subaru and the Union are committed to supporting the local community with charitable programs that extend the Subaru Love Promise to New Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia area. In April, the pair announced that Subaru Park would be the first Zero Landfill MLS stadium as part of the Subaru Loves the Earth initiative. Other endeavors include the Dogs of Ben, an initiative aimed at helping shelter dogs find homes in the Philadelphia area, and the Garden for Good, which is intended to provide fresh produce for donation to food banks in Chester during harvesting seasons. All season long Subaru and the Philadelphia Union are working together to collect gently used and new soccer gear at Subaru Park and at Philadelphia area retailers, as part of the Gear for Good Program. The program ties together the opening of the new Mini-Pitch and serves as an extension of the Subaru Loves to Help pillar.
