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San Jose Earthquakes Establish Partnership with Evergreen United

September 15, 2011 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes and the Evergreen United Education Foundation (EUEF) announced today that they have established a new partnership to jointly develop soccer and education programs for local youth. The partnership will provide an afterschool tutoring program along with a soccer club named San Jose Earthquakes EU. The club team will feature teams in both the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) and NorCal Premier.

"We are thrilled to partner with the San Jose Earthquakes on this unique venture," said Madan Bellam, CEO of EUEF. "The primary goal of this partnership is to provide programs that give students and parents the tools they need for every child to reach educational excellence. We believe that combining soccer and education will help motivate students to take an active part in their academic development. This program will significantly increase the potential for these students to attend college."

On the educational side, the program consist of afterschool tutoring from top quality local teachers on a wide range of subjects, including Mathematics, English, Student Essential Enrichment and Filmmaking. Students will be bused from their school sites to the afterschool programs at schools in the Evergreen School District. Additionally, the partnership has created the "Earthquakes Awards" program to reward students for high achievement. At the end of each quarter, students that improve their grades will be eligible to win "Earthquakes Awards".

"We're committed to the education and development of every child in our community and are very grateful for the support of the Evergreen School District Board and Superintendent Kathy Gomez", said Tom Huff, President of EUEF.

San Jose Earthquakes EU will feature both competitive and recreational soccer for a number of age levels. For the first year of the partnership, teams will be created for U-9 through U-12. All players in the program will wear adidas jerseys with an Earthquakes logo. Former Earthquakes assistant coach Jorge Espinoza has signed on to serve as the Director of Coaching for the club. All of the competitive teams will be formed through an open tryout process and fully licensed coaches will direct the teams. The competitive teams will be entered into the NorCal Premier league, while the remaining teams will play AYSO.

"Our club takes great pride in its community involvement and this partnership is another fantastic way to encourage academic excellence and healthy lifestyle choices among our local youth," said Earthquakes President Dave Kaval. "We are fully committed to building strong partnerships that help the success of our local children. This partnership presents a model for future programs with youth soccer clubs and school districts that can be replicated in San Jose and throughout the Bay Area."

All participants in both the soccer program and tutoring program will receive tickets to attend San Jose Earthquakes home games with their families. The program participants will be bused to the games and then bused back to school sites following the matches.

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