Nationwide Trainings This Summer Advance Impact of “Create the Space” Mental Health Initiative in Collaboration with Nonprofit Partner Common Goal
LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports, America’s English-language home for UEFA EURO 2024™ and CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™ this summer, today unveils its plans with nonprofit partner Common Goal to ensure that soccer – at every level of the game – is equipped with the knowledge, skills and resources to understand, prevent and deal with mental health issues.
During the most anticipated stretch on this year’s soccer calendar from Friday, June 14, to Sunday, July 14, FOX Sports, its parent company Fox Corporation and Common Goal USA are hosting a series of mental health trainings for youth soccer coaches and hundreds of young athletes across the country in select CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™ host locations including Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami and New Jersey / New York. FOX Sports and Fox Corporation are co-founders of Common Goal’s Create the Space initiative, which provides mental health training for professional athletes and community organizations and unites the soccer community behind the idea that prioritizing mental wellbeing is equally as important as maintaining one’s physical health.
“FOX Sports is proud to use the transformative power of sport to improve the mental health of our youth while creating safe places and a sense of belonging for them both on and off the field,” said Terri Hines, Executive Vice President, Communications, FOX Sports. “It’s an honor to continue working with Common Goal to destigmatize conversations around this topic and ensure that vulnerability is seen as a sign of strength, not weakness.”
The training series is co-designed by Common Goal and national nonprofit E-Motion and is being led by E-Motion and Atlanta-based nonprofit Soccer in the Streets. Details on locations and dates for the youth athlete and youth coach mental health trainings will be available in the coming weeks at Common-Goal.org.
To kick off the new initiative today in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, FOX Sports reporter Jenny Taft will host an exclusive discussion with U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) San Diego Wave FC defender Naomi Girma and NWSL Angel City FC forward Messiah Bright about Create the Space and their involvement with the initiative. Following the panel, FOX Sports, Fox Corporation and Common Goal USA organized an impactful soccer-themed event for Los Angeles youth. Members of FOX Sports’ preeminent roster of world-class soccer broadcasters, including Taft, match analyst and former U.S. Men’s National Team star Stu Holden and legendary defender and new studio analyst Giorgio Chiellini, are participating in the activities.
“Our partnership with FOX Sports is a testament to the power of how intentional storytelling can lead to meaningful action,” said Lilli Barrett-O’Keefe, Executive Director of Common Goal USA. “Nearly a year after the launch of our collective movement alongside the 2023 Women’s World Cup, we are again harnessing the power of mega sporting events to provide youth in under-resourced communities across the United States with critical skills to better support themselves and their teammates.”
About Common Goal
Common Goal is a nonprofit organization rooted in the belief that the world’s most popular sport is one of the few cultural forces strong enough to help shift society towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all. The global movement unites the global soccer community to act and collaborate towards the wellbeing of people and the planet through a simple yet impactful mechanism: players, managers, clubs, brands, media outlets and other soccer industry stakeholders pledge a minimum of 1% of earnings, sales and other resources to initiatives using soccer to drive progress towards sustainable social change.
About FOX Sports Commitment to the Common Goal Movement:
FOX Sports is dedicated to sharing the story of soccer for social impact in the United States and became the first and only national FIFA World Cup™ broadcaster to take Common Goal’s 1% pledge, committing 1% of its World Cup coverage through 2026 to telling the story of soccer for good cross-platform. By the end of last summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, FOX Sports’ total commitment of airtime exceeded 6%. Furthering FOX Sports’ efforts to create and advance fighting chances for all to play and access sports, the company teams with Common Goal to help make soccer accessible, diverse and inclusive for all youth athletes nationwide and shift the narrative about the impact the sport can have to change lives.
About UEFA EURO 2024™ and CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™
From Friday, June 14, to Sunday, July 14, FOX Sports will broadcast 46 UEFA EURO 2024™ and 32 CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™ matches live across FOX (36), FS1 (39) and FS2 (3) with every match live streaming on the FOX Sports App. Click here to view the UEFA EURO 2024™ broadcast schedule and here to view the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™ broadcast schedule. The broadcast schedules are subject to change.
To learn more about FOX Sports’ social impact efforts, please visit FOXSports.com/Supports and follow @FOXSportsPR on X.
