LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports today announces a major initiative with national non-profit partner Purple Heart Homes to renovate and restore the homes – and lives – of U.S. military veterans in Indianapolis ahead of the network’s inaugural coverage of the 109^th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, Sunday, May 25, on FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app.

The initiative, powered by a charitable grant from the FOX Sports Gamechanger Fund and Fox Corporation’s FOX Forward program, enables Purple Heart Homes to complete major home renovations for four local veterans in Indianapolis and highlights a shared mission to ensure veterans in the local community can age in place with safety, dignity and independence. The work includes roof and floor replacements, bathroom renovations and barrier-free upgrades designed to improve veterans’ safety and accessibility and support their long-term, independent living.

“It’s an honor to work alongside Purple Heart Homes to improve the quality of life for veterans in Indianapolis by providing the housing solutions they need to thrive in their communities,” said Eric Shanks, CEO and Executive Producer, FOX Sports. “The partnership between FOX Sports and Purple Heart Homes is central to our efforts to serve the military heroes who selflessly served us.”

In recognition of this meaningful work, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett officially proclaimed the week of May 12-18 “Purple Heart Homes & Partners Veteran Impact Week,” commending the collaborative efforts of FOX Sports, its parent company, Fox Corporation, and Purple Heart Homes in serving the city’s veteran community in the lead-up to the Indianapolis 500. The proclamation acknowledges the critical role of safe and accessible housing in supporting veterans and celebrates the public-private partnerships that made this mission possible.

“This partnership reflects the spirit of service, collaboration and community that defines the city of Indianapolis and sets a powerful example of what can be achieved when public, private and non-profit sectors work together in support of our heroes,” the proclamation reads.

Last week, veterans Kevin Smith (U.S. Air Force), Gary Dean (U.S. Army), Donald Covington (U.S. Marines) and a U.S. Army veteran who asked to remain anonymous began receiving personalized home renovations thanks to this initiative. Each transformation, completed by Purple Heart Homes with support from local Indianapolis non-profit Home Repairs for Good, showcases the collective power of national funding and community action.

“This work is about restoring dignity, independence and peace of mind to the people who have given so much to our country,” said Dave Sternberg, Chair of the Purple Heart Homes Board. “We are honored by the continued partnership of FOX Sports and look forward to what lies ahead in our growing collaboration with Home Repairs for Good.”

As part of FOX Sports’ coverage of the Indianapolis 500, viewers across the country will see featured storytelling across its platforms spotlighting the impact this partnership is having on veterans in real-time, reinforcing FOX Sports’ deep-rooted support of military and veteran communities. During race weekend, FOX Sports in partnership with INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will welcome the veterans and Purple Heart Homes leaders to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for an unforgettable experience that includes behind-the-scenes access to FOX Sports broadcast sets, meet-and-greets with FOX Sports on-air personalities, exclusive tours of the racetrack garages and VIP tickets for race day.

The FOX Sports Gamechanger Fund is a part of the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives to give back to local communities in cities nationwide. Founded in 2020 to benefit non-profit partners in its Super Bowl host cities, the fund has since expanded to further the company’s mission to support and create fighting chances for our nation’s military heroes through its FOX Sports Supports corporate social responsibility initiative in connection to the company’s presentation of its tentpole sporting events.

NEW ORLEANS — Over 100 kids and adults cheered loudly when FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks presented a check for $400,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana at Rosenwald Recreation Center in New Orleans on Wednesday. It was one of many efforts by FOX Sports and FOX Corporation in the company’s charitable commitment to the Boys & Girls Clubs as a part of the FOX Forward and FOX Sports Gamechanger Fund initiatives.

Not long after learning about the donation, the children saw their new technology center, with new laptops, televisions and updated Wi-Fi systems — all a part of the commitment.

“The Boys & Girls Clubs are on a mission to create great futures, and that means a lot of things to a lot of different kids,” Shanks said Wednesday. “So for some kids, it’s a safe place to go, like it was for me. For others, it’s a way to make new connections. It’s a way to get mentorship. It’s a way to get meals. It’s a place to spend time when they could be spending time in other places, but this is the best place.”

Shanks has a strong bond with the Boys & Girls Clubs after spending a lot of time at one as a child in his hometown in Indiana. And, no surprise, the sports community in the club was one of his strongest memories of his time there.

“I grew up in the Boys & Girls Club where Larry Bird went to play basketball, and his brother, Eddie Bird, would come and play pickup games,” Shanks said. “They had massive pickup games in our Boys & Girls Club, because it was where Indiana State was. And then, there was access to great mentorship, great adults and new friends to spend time with.”

Shanks addressed the kids in attendance alongside FOX NFL reporter Kristina Pink and analysts Howie Long, Rob Gronkowski and Mark Sanchez. The group discussed their experiences with the Boys & Girls Clubs, and shared advice and wisdom they learned through their careers in sports. And Shanks wasn’t the only one who grew up attending the club.

Long also has a personal bond with the organization.

“Having worked with the Boys & Girls Club for decades, growing up in the Boys & Girls Club, you don’t realize the impact until later on, but those were the formative years,” Long told the kids. “Without the coaches, without the parents, without just the kids having fun — that’s what this should be about. With the input that I think Fox is bringing today, I think that would be improved.”

The event highlighted FOX Sports’ commitment to the New Orleans community before, during, and after Super Bowl LIX.

“The resources and the relationships are a huge part of people’s success,” Sanchez said. “It feels like a family when you come to these kind of places, and all you want to do for the family is help out. So when we get the call to come in and get a chance to interact with kids like this, this is what FOX is about. This is what Boys & Girls Club of America is all about.”

Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA – February, 3, 2025 – Fox Corporation (“FOX” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: FOX, FOXA) today announced a charitable commitment to Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana (BGCMLA) totaling more than $400,000 through its ongoing FOX Forward and FOX Sports Gamechanger Fund community impact initiatives.

The commitment to BGCMLA supports the organization’s 10 Clubs state-wide to create long lasting, positive impact for youth throughout Louisiana and New Orleans, the host community of Super Bowl LIX, airing on FOX (Sunday, Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET). The efforts address the Clubs’ civilian and U.S. military-connected youth population’s life and workforce preparation needs and refurbishes the organization’s New Orleans tech center for the 21^st century.

“FOX is honored to provide scholarships and resources to empower the next generation of leaders from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana community as they pursue their goals and work to build a bright future for New Orleans,” said Lachlan Murdoch, Executive Chair and CEO, Fox Corporation.

Through the Company’s FOX Forward and FOX Sports Gamechanger Fund corporate social responsibility initiatives, FOX is partnering with BGCMLA to implement and operate CareerLaunch, a cornerstone Boys & Girls Clubs of America program designed to support Club teens’ journey to explore future vocations, make sound educational decisions and find success in the professional world. FOX’s legacy investment also replaces the organization’s outdated laptops and overhauls its wireless systems supporting 1,500 youth, updates its New Orleans tech center and purchases new sports equipment to retain and reengage the Club’s teen population.

Through the Company’s FOX Forward initiative, FOX is directing additional support for 400 military-connected youth at the Boys & Girls Club installation on Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans (NASJRBNO). The efforts expand BGCMLA’s Life and Workforce Readiness programming, offering financial literacy education, career readiness curriculum, career pathway exploration and more through NASJRBNO’s Teen Employment Program.

The Company’s charitable commitment also establishes a number of scholarships to be distributed to BGCMLA youth over multiple years. The FOX Forward Military Youth Scholarship, a first-of-its-kind military youth offering for teens who successfully complete the Teen Employment Program, the FOX Forward Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana Scholarship, available to all BGCMLA youth who successfully complete CareerLaunch programming, and the FOX Sports Super Bowl LIX Scholarship, awarded to BGCMLA’s representatives for the annual Boys & Girls Clubs of America Youth of the Year and Military Youth of the Year competitions, will empower the recipients’ pursuit of life and career opportunities through higher education and vocational credentialing.

The week leading up to Super Bowl LIX, Eric Shanks, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer, FOX Sports, and FOX NFL Reporter Kristina Pink will present the charitable contribution to Angel Nelson, Chief Executive Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana, during a ceremony at the New Orleans tech center. Additionally, in support of BGCMLA’s teen youth, Pink will host an exclusive panel discussion exploring career pathways in sports media and technology.

The FOX Sports Gamechanger Fund was established in 2020 through the FOX Sports Supports community impact program and is designed to benefit nonprofit partners in its Super Bowl host cities, furthering the program’s mission to create and advance fighting chances for underserved youth and our nation’s military heroes. The legacy grants through the FOX Forward and FOX Sports Gamechanger Fund initiatives highlight the Company’s commitment to the New Orleans community and the legacy Super Bowl LIX on FOX leaves behind in Louisiana.

To learn more about FOX’s corporate social responsibility programs, please visit www.FoxCorporation.com and www.FOXSports.com/Supports. For more information about the organization the Company is supporting visit www.BGCMetroLouisiana.org.

Rohn was severely injured serving as a corpsman in Fallujah, Iraq, resulting in multiple years of limb salvage and the eventual amputation of his right leg below the knee. Despite his injuries, he has pursued his passion for sports and serves as an inspiration for future generations of adaptive athletes – all while training to compete for Team USA in men’s discus.

Rohn’s story aired nationally during the FOX NFL SUNDAY Veterans Day show on Sunday, November 10 as part of the company’s longstanding support of Angel City Sports and commitment to creating and advancing fighting chances for our nation’s military heroes. The company’s time-honored tradition of anchoring FOX NFL SUNDAY from a military installation on Veterans Day weekend continued this year when the show was hosted from Naval Base San Diego, the world’s second largest surface ship naval base.

The interview was conducted in Max’s new home that was generously provided to him by Homes for Our Troops, a national nonprofit which builds and donates custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans.

FOX Sports: Tell us about your service in the military.

Max: I joined the Navy because I knew I could help. I was an EMT in high school. One of my instructors told me that if I really wanted to know medicine, that I should go to the front lines. I initially wanted to join the Army because they had a bonus, and my mom said absolutely not. So, then I kind of tricked her – told her I was joining the Navy because she didn’t know that I could go with the Marines and end up in the same spot.

My rate in the Navy was Hospital Corpsman, 3^rd Class Petty Officer, or HM3 – stationed out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina with the 2^nd Marines. On my deployment I was attached to a police transition team and my role was to be the Corpsman attached to a squad size element, normally about 12 Marines, and provide medical coverage. While I was in Iraq, I supported my team as well as the Iraqi police, and I also took care of the detainees or the people that we apprehended doing all of our work.

FOX Sports: What advice do you have for veterans that are in the midst of their transition to civilian life?

Max: You need to go out there, you need to ask for help – everyone’s going to tell you that. My message is that you also have to accept the help. What that means is that you have to break down your pride, and you have to be willing to accept things that you can’t possibly know. You have this problem, and you think that you can solve it. If that were true, you wouldn’t have the problem anymore. So, what you have to do is get outside your comfort zone. Experience some things that you’re not comfortable with because it’s only when we’re not comfortable that we actually grow. This is the success that comes through struggle. You have to struggle a little bit before you can actually succeed.

So, if that means going to the VA and getting the help you need, even though you really don’t want to, this is the step that everyone needs to recognize. But the help doesn’t need to come from the VA. It can come from the community around you. What I do with Angel City Sports is that we have built this community up so that when you ask for help, we have the resources to provide it. You don’t have to struggle alone. There’s an entire community out here that’s willing to help. You just have to be accepting of the help.

FOX Sports: Describe the impact that Angel City Sports has on veterans with service-connected injuries and the importance of their programming for this community.

Max: This community is very odd in so far as its visibility. You don’t really know about disabled sports until you’re disabled. Then, when you’re disabled, you just expect that there’s this huge infrastructure and programs built for you to participate – and that is not really the case. There are some bright spots in the country – one of the best organizations is Angel City Sports. They take athletes from introductory levels all the way to the Paralympic level and give you all the tools that you need to be successful in the sport, and that includes surrounding you with people that can help you along the way. If you shrink it all the way down – at the heart of this – sports just teach you how to set up a routine and make your world make sense again. You just went through this horrible endeavor, either trauma, illness, etc… and your life is just chaos and you’re trying to make sense of it. The best way to do it is to get out into the world and start moving again. And that’s what sports does.

Until last month, Nico had never seen a Major League Baseball game live.

He had been to an MLB stadium only once before, when his third-grade school chorus sang the national anthem at an Atlanta Braves game. All the now-18-year-old freshman at Florida State remembers from that experience was falling asleep on the way there, however, having to reorient himself in time to sing before leaving immediately after.

“I asked my mom, ‘Why can’t we stay?'” Nico recalled. “And she was like, ‘Just mind your business.’ We just kept going.”

Nico finally got his chance to watch an MLB game in person at Game 2 of the 2024 World Series, courtesy of FOX Sports honoring him as the 2024-25 Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Youth of the Year — an award he received in September. It included a scholarship to Florida State, and as far as he initially knew, nothing more than a small ceremonial role in the pregame festivities before the Los Angeles Dodgers took on the New York Yankees on Oct. 26.

So when Nico arrived at Dodger Stadium, he was focused on taking it all in. Little did he know that he was about to meet the “MLB on FOX” crew and become the latest recipient of the FOX Sports World Series scholarship on behalf of his hometown Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville.

“I actually remember being at the game and looking at the scoreboard and seeing 52,700 in attendance,” Nico said. “I was like, ‘That’s crazy.’ Being astonished by how big the stadium was, and then actually being able to walk in and be in a dugout and be, like, backstage, seeing the coaches and the players and seeing the old lockers from way back and stuff like that. Just being in there, and seeing the history, it was very cool and fascinating.”

Nico also took time to learn the stories of the production crew and was fascinated by the logistics of putting on pregame festivities both at the stadium and on television, where schedules must be timed down to the second. But as he stood on the field taking in the spectacle in front of him, he was approached by FOX Sports CEO and Executive Producer Eric Shanks, a proud BGCA alum who now sits on the national organization’s board of governors.

Then, Shanks stepped aside and motioned towards the “MLB on FOX” studio crew consisting of host Kevin Burkhardt and legendary former MLB players Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez, fresh off their World Series Game 2 pregame show. Like Shanks, Rodriguez is also a proud former “club kid” who remains an active part of the BGCA board.

“Nico, it’s your turn,” Shanks said.

Still, Nico thought he was just getting a quick photo op with the famed on-air quartet. 

“And then Kevin starts talking,” Nico recalled. “I’m like, ‘OK.’ Then he keeps talking, he’s like, ‘Yeah, we’re giving you this award.’ And I just kind of froze for a little bit.”

Burkhardt explained to Nico that the FOX Sports World Series scholarship is a $15,000 grant to the hometown club of the BGCA National Youth of the Year, paid out in $5,000 scholarships to the next three Club Youth of the Year awardees from that location.

“That was the biggest thing to me,” Nico said. “Just hearing that I’m able to impact other students from my hometown.”

Instantly, images of specific BGCA members from his home club who could be awarded the scholarships flashed into Nico’s mind. 

“I actually had an opportunity to talk with one of my ‘younger brothers’ — somebody that I call my younger brother — from Jacksonville,” Nico said. “Just hearing that it could impact him … hearing the ambition in his story, and the things that he’s doing in high school right now, it makes me so happy, man. Like, these are the people that I want to impact. These are the people I want to inspire, and they allow me to do that. I didn’t ask for anything like this, but I’m grateful. I don’t think I could have ever asked for anything like this. I wouldn’t really know how to, but they did this, and it’s able to really release a burden off people’s families.

“The person I call my little brother, his name is Caleb. His mom, she [has] been working so hard. They’re immigrants, and she’s working so hard to fund his way through high school and to pay for things like housing and stuff like that. And $5,000 then would mean a lot, you know? And that’s who I imagine that it would help. And it means a lot to me, not just the $15,000 [in honor of] me, but $5,000 for any student that wins [Club Youth of the Year] in Northeast Florida. That’s big. It’s really big.”

Nico knows firsthand about that impact. After experiencing homelessness, which included living out of a trash bag and wearing one outfit for days on end, Nico was persuaded to join the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida after his family relocated from Atlanta to Jacksonville as he began high school. 

Now, he credits BGCA, who “found me in a very dark part of my life,” with showing him that he could just be himself, work on bettering himself, and giving him other valuable life skills.

“They taught me how to navigate this world and how to be okay with being in this situation that you’re in, how to enjoy the journey,” Nico said. “I would say [the BGCA] most specifically, like, really [helped] enhance my leadership traits and show me how the importance of building, like, individual relationships with people, and really building real relationships and … not really dwelling on the past, and realizing that my past [has] not defined who I am.

“If all young people had the insight that I had, I would feel like I did my job. I’m only 18, and everything I said I wanted to do when I was 15 or 14 — it happened.”

Nico himself has big aspirations. He is currently studying political science at FSU with dreams of one day becoming a United States representative, but also has interests in the world of fashion, which helps explain how he has already started both a nonprofit and a clothing brand.

Nico got some inspiration from fellow BGCA member Pearle, who sang the national anthem before Game 2 of the World Series. She told him about how her BGCA experience gave her the courage to change her major and pursue her passion in her own college experience.

But two moments from that evening at Dodger Stadium also stand out to Nico. The first was discovering his favorite exhibit in the ballpark — a large portrait of Jackie Robinson. Nico took a picture next to the MLB color barrier-breaking legend and hopes to get it framed. The second was hearing Jeter speak so highly of him both directly in private and on the “MLB on FOX” postgame show segment about the scholarship that night.

“My uncle, he watches baseball a lot, he’s one of my biggest role models,” Nico said. “Calling me because [one of] his biggest role models just said my name on national TV, like, that’s crazy. It’s something you could only dream of. … For so long, I felt voiceless, and to now be heard by everybody that wants to hear me, it’s great. It feels good.”

Now, Nico hopes to continue helping make others’ dreams come true.

“The biggest thing I can do right now is just spread positivity and let people know they can do anything [they] put their minds to,” Nico said. “I’m only 18. It seems like my life has just started, and I’m helping somebody else get an education.”

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.

A first-of-its-kind mental health retreat with professional soccer players from across the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League). 

Over the past year, footballers from around the world have come together to prioritise mental health within the game through Create the Space, a programme designed to tackle mental health issues in football and society.  

The project was announced during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in a campaign led by Naomi Girma involving the U.S. Women’s National Team in sending the message “Vulnerability is a sign of strength, not weakness”.    

But beyond starting conversations, in the USA, the players are changing culture from within.    

They are taking mental wellbeing in football to another level by bringing the project closer to themselves.

What’s happening? 

A first-of-its-kind mental health retreat that will feature 20 professional football players – including USWNT Captain Becky Sauerbrunn – representing all NWSL clubs (14).    

The programme, powered by Common Goal’s mental health movement, will take place in San Diego in January, from the 13th to the 15th. 

These professional soccer players are transforming the sport into a platform for improving the culture around mental health at all levels, starting at the highest. Theirs. 

Naomi Girma, USWNT and San Diego Wave defender said: “We keep saying, as a sport, it’s time to move beyond just words and take action.  

“It’s incredible to see that only a few months after launching the Create the Space campaign, we are doing exactly that.”   

“The only way we can genuinely redefine the narrative of mental and emotional health across soccer is to work together. I could not be prouder to be part of this inaugural group that will inevitably change the game, for good.”

Players taking action 

Many of the players involved have a personal connection to mental health issues – they have a story to tell.  

Through this athlete-led project, everyone will find common ground to take action from their personal motivations and turn them into something much bigger while creating their own safe space to express themselves.    

Sinead Farrelly, Ireland and Gotham FC midfielder, said: “Create the Space is the perfect example of athlete-led collective action.  

“Together, we have to normalise conversations around mental well-being and create an environment where athletes feel empowered to seek help and support one another.”  

“We need to continue to create spaces where addressing mental health is the priority. This not only leads to the success of the athlete both on and off the field, but also to a more compassionate and sustainable approach to competitive sports.”

Dedicating time to mental well-being 

The Create the Space retreat is a new dimension that shows that footballers can give the valuable commodity, something usually limited by their match schedule, which is their time, evolving to a proactive and involved approach. 

The players are committed to combining both their preparation for the new season and at the same time focusing on taking care of their mental health.  

Their daily competitive pre-season training will be run by the Ethiopian-owned and lead training centre, Golden Boot Academy at Surfs Sports Park.   

Common Goal U.S. Executive Director, Lilli Barrett-O’Keefe, said: “The fact that so many of these amazing athletes have committed to travel from all over the U.S. to convene for three days speaks to the vital importance of mental health in the sport and in our communities.”   

“Common Goal has been consistent over the years in calling for integrated solutions that harness the power of soccer to create meaningful change.  

“The support shown for this first Create the Space retreat from the grassroots to professional ranks shows both the continuing leadership of women in global football and also what is possible when we commit to working together.”   

The retreat is co-designed by E-Motion and Common Goal. E-Motion is an organization that has developed transformational content to harness the power of community, movement and ritual to enhance coping and resilience. This groundbreaking, action-led approach to tackling mental issues in soccer and society has been made possible by Founding Partner FOX Sports and its parent company Fox Corporation and BetterHelp, with support from Women in Soccer.

Sarah Rudder is at her happiest when she is running, jumping, lifting, pulling weights or generally putting her body through various forms of torture.

“If I’m pushing myself and hurting myself, either in training or in an event, it’s a good day,” the former Marine said. 

Veterans Day on Saturday has special significance for Rudder, like all past and present members of the armed forces, but certain anniversaries bring difficult memories for the 41-year-old, whose injuries sustained on Sept. 11, 2001, ultimately led to the amputation of her left leg.

Now an elite competitor and reigning CrossFit Games champion as the top female in the below-knee amputee division, Rudder struggled for years after her injuries forced her into a discharge from the military.

“Having adaptive sports to be a part of has meant everything to me,” Rudder said. “It got me off 20 medications and got me off alcohol. The biggest thing it did was force me to be fully committed to myself.”

Rudder was celebrated by FOX NFL Sunday as part of the show’s Veterans Day appreciation, which aired live from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., this week. 

Rudder is one of so many inspirational examples provided by those who serve in commitment to the country.

Her story is remarkable. Click here to watch.

On Sept. 11, Rudder was near the Pentagon, where, at just age 18, she was being promoted to Lance Corporal. Despite carrying injuries from a recent car accident, she raced toward the burning building to help.

Later, after standing watch all night outside the Pentagon, she was part of the rescue efforts the next day, searching for survivors, when she stepped into a hole and her ankle crumpled beneath her. Adrenaline kept her going, barely noticing the pain.  

When she finally had a moment to rest, nearly 24 hours later, she removed her boot and realized her ankle was completely mangled.

“Being a Marine was all I knew and all I wanted to be,” Rudder said. “Suddenly, that was taken away.”

Rudder was told her condition left her non-deployable for combat and she was honorably discharged. Years of rehabilitation and multiple lower-leg surgeries later, Rudder continued to suffer from complications related to complex regional pain syndrome.

Faced with the option of either having a surgical rod inserted from her hip to ankle, or amputation, she chose the latter.

Eventually, sports provided solace. After seeing wheelchair athletes and others with disabilities getting involved in adaptive competition, Rudder found the grueling variety of CrossFit was the right choice to fuel her competitive spirit.

She began training in 2014 and became deeply committed within a few years, pouring her mental and emotional energy into becoming as good as she could.

Placing first in 2022 was an ultimate highlight, but Rudder is hungry for more success when the CrossFit Games take place again in North Carolina later this month.

In October, Rudder was celebrated with the 2023 Angela Madsen Courage Award as part of Angel City Sports’ Courage Weekend, the West Coast’s only adaptive sports festival where injured service members, veterans and first responders can compete alongside each other.

Athletes took part in 12 disciplines with most events hosted at Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles, under the supervision of elite coaches such as Paralympians Max Rohn and Ezra Frech (track and field), and John Kremer (sitting volleyball).

For Angel City Sports Founder and CEO Clayton Frech, one of the most uplifting elements of the weekend was seeing elite competitors helping those who were experiencing some of the adaptive disciplines for the first time.

“One thing that unites this community is that you are dealing with incredible individuals who have refused to let their disability stand in the way of their life,” he said. “Now, so many of them want to help people and sports — and adaptive sports — is an amazing way for that to blend together.”

For Rudder, like with any vet, Veterans Day takes on a special poignancy, and sports is very much a part of the reflective process.

“Sports is such a part of the fabric of America and has so many links to the services,” she added. “For those who have been wounded or injured, life changes very quickly and very dramatically. 

“I know first-hand, having sports as something to throw yourself into is very powerful — and very special.”

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.

A collective of leading players from across the world have come together to ensure that football – at all levels – is equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources to understand, prevent, and deal with mental health issues. 

Historically mental health in football has been taboo, rarely discussed openly. In recent years, we have witnessed a positive shift, with more individuals bravely speaking up and raising awareness about lived experience.  

The sport itself has often been celebrated for its capacity to support and provide a space for self-expression.  

At the grassroots and within communities, football has proven to be a space where vulnerable young people have found a place on the pitch and increasingly, a place in society, playing a crucial role in supporting their mental wellbeing.   

What’s it all about?  

Football is more than just a game; it’s the opportunity to express yourself and open up. But away from the pitch, it’s not always as easy to be our true selves.  

We know that, when we are not able to express ourselves, our mental health can take a hit. 

Create the Space unites Athletes, community organisations, brands and other partners behind the vision of creating an environment within football where everyone is able to express themselves.  

Ben Chilwell said: “I have had my own mental health journey and I felt unsure about where to turn to for support. It’s down to our generation to change this and ensure that throughout football, all the way from the elite level to young people in community organisations, we have each other’s backs and we’re equipped with the tools to help ourselves and those around us.”

A Player-led initiative

In the UK Create the Space is being supported by Tottenham Hotspur acting-captain Molly Bartrip, Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell, Arsenal’s Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, as well as former Watford and Bolton Wanderers forward Marvin Sordell.  

Molly Bartrip said: “Some years ago I was in a position where I wanted to commit suicide. You feel like you’re a burden, but it’s the strongest thing to ask for help.  

“Mental health shouldn’t be a forbidden subject, it should be as open as having an injury. I now consider my vulnerability as a strength. 

“I want football to become a safe space and hope that from the top level down to grassroots that’s what we can achieve with Create the Space.” 

Elsewhere in Europe Galatasaray midfielder Sergio Oliviera, who joined Common Goal on International Day for Mental Health, is also part of the coalition,  as well as Real Sociedad’s Alex Remiro, who joined Common Goal in August 2023. 

In the United States Naomi Girma – along with many of her USWNT teammates – are spearheading a change in culture and conversation around mental health. Earlier this year, FOX Sports released a series featuring Naomi Girma, Sophia Smith and Sofia Huerta to talk about the importance of prioritising mental wellbeing in football – starting with local organisations. 

How it works  

We know that creating psychological safe environments depends on embedding daily practices and habits. To become the norm, these principles must become woven into the ethos of clubs, organisations, and institutions. At their core, these practices should provide daily opportunity for the expression of care, gratitude, and fear.  

We recognise that across the football ecosystem, everyone has the potential to become a mental health champion, with the ability to provide support to their peers in overcoming mental health challenges and play an active role in creating a supportive environment for everyone. 

Create the Space is a movement to unite the football community in making football a psychological safe environment for everyone; enabling football to become a platform to improve mental health outside the game, while improving the culture and support within the game itself.    

In collaboration with a coalition of partners from the entire football ecosystem, Common Goal will implement an action-based solution to equip football with the knowledge, skills, and resources to understand, prevent, and deal with mental health issues. 

The programme provides a top-down and bottom-up approach to transform football by equipping players, coaches, and clubs with the ability to ensure that freedom of self-expression is championed on and off the pitch. 

Beth Mead said: “I want to help create an environment in which it’s totally normal to address mental health. There’s not a perfect way of dealing with it, but if you feel you’re not alone it helps so much. We need to normalise mental health and in doing so that would go a long way.”

Where it starts 

In the UK, Common Goal will team up with Football Beyond Borders to pilot an integrated and experiential programme to empower mental health champions – ensuring that individuals withing football are equipped to be supportive on and off the pitch.  

The UK pilot will also be implemented in collaboration with community organisations such as Street League, Girls United and Bloomsbury Football. 

“The role that football plays that is so crucial in the lives of our young people, it has the power to create positive relationships with their peers and excel in life,” said Football Beyond Borders.  

In the USA Common Goal will work with expert partner E-Motion to launch a pilot in 2024 with a focus on involving youth coaches working in the most at-risk communities across the country.  Common Goal is also engaging athletes to facilitate conversations around mental health with professional team. The pilot is supported by FOX Corporation, FOX Sports, and Women in Soccer.  

The project was announced earlier this year during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in a campaign led by Naomi Girma involving the USWNT in sending a message “Vulnerability is a sign of strength, not weakness”.

“What I have learned through losing my best friend, is that everyone struggles in their own way, even when it doesn’t seem they are,” said Naomi Girma.  

“Suffering doesn’t always look the way it’s portrayed in the movies. No matter if I am a professional athlete, a student or whatever, making sure that I’m checking in on others and checking in on myself is so important. Create the Space will help people be the best versions of themselves and may even save lives.” 

With the ambition of equipping the football community with tools to foster psychological safe environments for everyone, Common Goal and its expert partners will develop open-source curricula to collect best practices in advancing mental health within and through the game.

FOX MLB Studio Analyst Alex Rodriguez Hosts Organization’s 2023 National Youth of the Year During World Series this Saturday for Game Two on FOX

LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports, America’s home for Major League Baseball’s World Series for the past two decades, announces today it’s furthering its commitment to harnessing the power of sport for positive social change with the expansion of the FOX Sports Gamechanger Fund community impact initiative.

Forging a lasting connection between its annual presentation of the Fall Classic and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, FOX Sports has created the inaugural FOX Sports World Series Scholarship to benefit the longtime nonprofit partner and its National Youth of the Year program.

“As a Club kid, having access to a Boys & Girls Club was instrumental in my upbringing,” said Eric Shanks, CEO and Executive Producer, FOX Sports. “I’m proud to further FOX Sports’ commitment to the organization and support Club kids’ pursuit of higher education with this scholarship while recognizing their outstanding leadership, service, academic excellence and promise of a bright future.”

The FOX Sports World Series Scholarship honors the accomplishments of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year, the teen ambassador for more than 3.3 million Boys & Girls Club youth across the country, and is granted to their hometown Club. World Series champion, FOX MLB Studio Analyst and former “Club kid” Alex Rodriguez will present the scholarship to 2023 National Youth of the Year, Alejandra L., on behalf of her hometown Club in McAllen, Texas before Game 2 of the 2023 World Series on Saturday, October 28. Prior to the first pitch, Alejandra will deliver the game ball to the mound at Globe Life Field and be honored by Major League Baseball through its partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Additionally, during its coverage of the World Series, FOX Sports will spotlight Alejandra’s achievement and inspiring story across its linear and digital platforms, emphasizing the critically important services Boys & Girls Clubs provide for many young people in America to ensure a great future.

“Being named National Youth of the Year is an incredible achievement – and an even bigger responsibility as they represent the voices of millions of Club kids around the country,” said Rodriguez, who sits on the Board of Governors for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “It’s an honor to present the inaugural FOX Sports World Series Scholarship to Alejandra and help FOX Sports open doors to positive futures for more Club kids like me.”

FOX Sports’ Gamechanger Fund was founded in 2020 to benefit nonprofit partners in its Super Bowl host cities and further the company’s mission to create and advance fighting chances for underserved youth and our nation’s military heroes as a part of its FOX Sports Supports corporate social responsibility initiative.

FOX Sports has been a longtime supporter of Boys & Girls Clubs at the local, regional and national levels and has made the Clubs a featured beneficiary of the Gamechanger Fund since its inception in 2020 at Super Bowl LIV in Miami. Presented to Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade, the Gamechanger Fund equipped the club’s youth to explore future careers in television, digital and social media production and enabled the organization to provide needed upgrades to its four teen centers. At Super Bowl LVII in Arizona earlier this year, the Gamechanger Fund supported the creation of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley’s new AZYouthforce West Valley Career Readiness Center to prepare teens for internships and permanent jobs while also granting the FOX Sports Super Bowl LVII Scholarship to Arizona’s representatives for the Youth of the Year and Military Youth of the Year programs.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a nationwide nonprofit organization enabling all young people to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens. More than 5,200 Boys & Girls Clubs provide a safe place for more than 3.3 million young people nationwide, providing innovative programs designed to empower them to excel in school, become good citizens and lead healthy, productive lives.

To learn more about FOX Sports’ social impact efforts, please visit FOXSports.com/Supports and follow @FOXSportsPR on X.

FOX Sports, nonprofit movement Common Goal and U.S. Women’s National Team players are joining forces during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to prioritize mental well-being in soccer, pairing the stories of defender Naomi Girma, forward Sophia Smith and defender Sofia Huerta with young female athletes across the United States who are navigating their own mental health journeys.

The series highlights the work of Common Goal USA-based community organizations like Football for the World, which aims to eliminate barriers that prevent marginalized individuals and communities from obtaining the benefits of soccer.

Furthering FOX Sports’ commitment to creating and advancing fighting chances for all to play and access sports, the company teams with Common Goal to drive efforts to 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. 

Text USWNT to 44321 to show your support. None of us can do it alone.

FOX Sports, nonprofit movement Common Goal and U.S. Women’s National Team players are joining forces during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to prioritize mental well-being in soccer, pairing the stories of defender Naomi Girma, forward Sophia Smith and defender Sofia Huerta with young female athletes across the United States who are navigating their own mental health journeys.

The series highlights the work of Common Goal USA-based community organizations like The Chicano Federation of San Diego County, which works to invest in communities through programs that build resiliency and promote self-sufficiency.

Furthering FOX Sports’ commitment to creating and advancing fighting chances for all to play and access sports, the company teams with Common Goal to drive efforts to 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. 

Text USWNT to 44321 to show your support. None of us can do it alone.

FOX Sports, nonprofit movement Common Goal and U.S. Women’s National Team players are joining forces during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup to prioritize mental wellbeing in soccer, pairing the stories of defender Naomi Girma, forward Sophia Smith and defender Sofia Huerta with young female athletes across the United States who are navigating their own mental health journeys.

The series amplifies the work of Common Goal USA-based community organizations like Football For Her, which provides mentorship and professional development to girls of all ages through soccer, and further highlights the importance of connecting the professional and the grassroots side of the game.

Furthering FOX Sports’ commitment to creating and advancing fighting chances for all to play and access sports, the company teams with Common Goal to drive efforts to 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. 

Text USWNT to 44321 to show your support. None of us can do it alone.

FOX Sports Continues its Commitment to Pledge a Percentage of its FIFA Women’s World Cup Coverage to Sharing the Story of Soccer for Social Impact

LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports, America’s English-language home for the FIFA World Cup through 2026, continues its historic collaboration with nonprofit movement Common Goal during the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023.

During the largest FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament in history taking place July 20 – August 20, FOX Sports, and its parent company Fox Corporation, are teaming up to support the launch of Common Goal USA’s new mental health initiative. United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) defender Naomi Girma is leading the innovative project with the support of USWNT forward Sophia Smith and USWNT defender Sofia Huerta through a three-part feature series and multiple PSAs produced by FOX Sports.

“FOX Sports is proud to harness our wide array of multi-platform assets to propel the Common Goal movement forward during our coverage of the Women’s World Cup,” said Terri Hines, Executive Vice President, Communications, FOX Sports. “We continue to be inspired by the work they are doing to ensure there are no boundaries preventing anyone from playing the beautiful game and we look forward to focusing our storytelling around this important mental health initiative with incredible players and role models from the US Women’s National Team.”

The mental health content series airing across FOX Sports’ on-air, online and social media platforms throughout the tournament contains exclusive interviews with Girma, Smith and Huerta documenting the importance of mental health in professional soccer, pairing their stories with young female athletes across the United States who are navigating their own mental health journeys. The series amplifies the work of Common Goal USA-based community organizations supporting young athletes in underserved communities and further highlights the importance of connecting the professional and the grassroots side of soccer.

FOX Sports is dedicated to sharing the story of soccer for social impact in the United States and is the first and only national FIFA World Cup broadcaster to take Common Goal’s 1% pledge, targeting 1% of its World Cup coverage through 2026 to telling the story of soccer for good cross-platform. In the first year of the collaboration during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, FOX Sports nearly doubled its coverage commitment.

“It’s so powerful to see FOX Sports take the 1% pledge alongside so many of us athletes this World Cup,” said Naomi Girma, USWNT defender. “We hope this initiative sets a precedent across soccer that prioritizing mental well-being at all levels in the game is equally as important as maintaining one’s physical health.”

Leading up to this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, FOX Sports introduced Common Goal USA’s new mental health initiative in the June 4 episode of its award-winning pro-social series VOICES which highlights diverse sports stories impacting our communities and culture. On Tuesday, June 13, FOX Sports and Common Goal USA hosted an exciting soccer-themed festival for young girls in New York City which emphasized the importance of mental wellness in tandem with physical fitness, with more events planned in the next three years. Common Goal Girls Soccer Festival New York was held at Socceroof in Long Island City and members of FOX Sports’ preeminent roster of world-class broadcasters, including lead play-by-play announcer JP Dellacamera, lead studio analyst Alexi Lalas, studio analyst Carli Lloyd, international analyst Karina LeBlanc and reporter Jenny Taft participated in the activities. 

“During such a pivotal year for women’s sports, we are excited to partner with FOX Sports and players from the USWNT to ensure that mental health is at the forefront this tournament,” said Lilli Barrett-O’Keefe, Executive Director of Common Goal USA. “Historically, conversations around mental wellbeing have been either ignored or stigmatized in grassroots and professional soccer. Together with FOX Sports, we’re making it our goal to change that.”

Common Goal is a non-profit 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 our people and 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.

The relationship between Common Goal and FOX Sports dates back to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, when FOX Sports supported and featured Play Proud, Common Goal’s initiative to make soccer a safe and inclusive space for the LGBTQ+ community, throughout its tournament coverage. Furthering FOX Sports’ commitment to creating and advancing fighting chances for all to play and access sports, the company teams with Common Goal to drive efforts to 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.

From Thursday, July 20, through Sunday, Aug. 20, FOX Sports will present all 64 matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup live across FOX (29) and FS1 (35) with every match live streaming on the FOX Sports App. 

For more information, visit FOX Sports Press Pass and follow @FOXSportsPR on Twitter.

In a Match Full of Meaning, Veterans from Various Branches Compete for Bragging Rights

The game of golf has no shortage of competitive formats, from traditional stroke play to Stableford to skins to foursomes and the much-loved scramble – which is mostly reserved for the hit-and-giggle rounds enjoyed by friends.

There is one that stands above all others as a test of steel and nerve, however. Matchplay, where a round essentially involves 18 collective one-hole competitions against a single opponent who happens to be right next to you, demands magnified levels of attrition and sturdiness of hand.

“If you meet any of our members, you’d see,” Joshua Peyton, president of the Veteran Golfers Association and founder of its Armed Forces Cup event, told me recently. “You’d soon realize why there was no other option but matchplay.”

The VGA started in 2014 as a neat idea to get military veterans out onto the course for reasons both social and cathartic, and has grown into an organization of more than 18,000 members who participate across upward of 1,000 nationwide events.

Perhaps its most special is the Armed Forces Cup, staged since 2021, where veterans from the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard use their wits and clubs and camaraderie to tussle it out each year for bragging rights that will last all the way to the next year’s competition. Space Force veterans also participate, and are incorporated into the Air Force squad.

There should never need to be a special reason to write about the sacrifice made by America’s veterans, but sometimes the timing is too good to ignore. As another holiday comes before us this Fourth of July, the latest edition of the Armed Forces Cup, which took place on Memorial Day weekend, will be re-broadcast on Wednesday on FS1 (7 p.m. ET).

The services and sports have been linked together throughout history and that connection remains tight. The awe-inspiring Army football team from the World War Two era. Pat Tillman and his ultimate sacrifice. Coach K’s career as an army officer and his coaching start in charge of the Black Knights. The role the resumption of sports had in helping heal the immediate pain of 9/11. The pageantry involved in the Super Bowl and Major League Baseball games. And so much more.

Television coverage aside, the Armed Forces Cup isn’t played out in front of huge numbers. The galleries aren’t several people deep. It is intimate and familial but full of ferocious competitiveness each year and was so again this time.

The course, Champions Retreat, is steeped in golfing royalty. Situated just outside Augusta, Georgia, it is the only collection of courses (three separate nine-hole masterpieces) in the world designed by the historic trio of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Furthermore, it hosts only two outside tournaments, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Armed Forces Cup.

“This is our Ryder Cup,” retired colonel and Army team captain Steve Bristow said. “You can take any player on any of the teams and I guarantee they feel as proud – and maybe as nervous – in the way we represent our branch as any of the United States or European players do in the actual Ryder Cup.”

While professional golf has been through a turbulent year, no one will ever accuse this other side of the game of having its priorities mixed up.

Peyton was involved in a vehicle rollover while undertaking Army service in Northern Iraq in 2011, was transported by medevac to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., and had his hand narrowly saved from amputation due to the expertise of doctors.

He said he was in “a dark place” in the months that followed, a natural by-product of the trauma he experienced. He’d played sports his whole life, including baseball at West Point, and was now in need of a point of focus.

He set up the VGA, wanting members to get active and a reason to get out of the house. He knew what service people are like, the inherent competitiveness and the need to be involved in something, the benefits of pursuing achievement.

“The VGA is a special thing,” retired Army sergeant major Tim Stanton said. “It is an opportunity for people to be around others who know what it is like to have been in their situation, doing something they love, competing at it, and just living it.”

The military both builds character and reveals it, a place where the repercussions for failure or missed steps are on a different level to what most of us will ever face.

That breeds resiliency, but it also can create a sense of loss once the heightened responsibility is taken away. As the VGA continued to grow, Peyton and co-founder Joe Caley tried to reach as many parts of the country as possible, spreading sportsmanship and camaraderie. The Armed Forces Cup was a natural extension.

“You can probably imagine what the trash talk was like,” Stanton added. “We are devoted to the same purpose, serving the country as part of the armed forces. But never underestimate how much it means for each branch to prove they are the best. That runs through everything and this is the perfect outlet for it.”

We’re not in the business of spoiler alerts here, but the 2023 event culminated in an extraordinarily tight outcome that defied the laws of probability and was sealed, as you might expect, by one man’s ability to tune out all the pressure bearing down upon him.

“It kind of summed up everything that it’s about,” Peyton said. “Togetherness and pride and devotion to service. But also a true, grueling, hard-won sporting competition that was thrilling to watch.”

Participation was set up in a way to reward both excellence and high participation levels in VGA events.

The 10-strong squads had everyone from the scratch golf to the weekend warrior eligible, creating tense finishes with the more proficient player often having to give up significant headway on each hole.

It was sports, no question about it, but also something else. Just as holidays mean different things to different people, so too does each year’s Armed Forces Cup experience provide something unique for each member of every team.

“There is nothing like the feeling of being there,” Peyton said, with a huge smile. “You kind of have to be there, or watch it, to get the full picture.”

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.

The Fellowship is an exclusive nine-month educational program managed by Sports Biz Careers providing fifteen college students firsthand access to internships, professional mentorship and networking opportunities with Charlotte-based sports businesses including 23XI Racing, Bespoke Sports & Entertainment, CAA Icon, Carolina Panthers, Charlotte 49ers Athletics, Charlotte FC, Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte Sports Foundation, Elevate Sports Ventures, FOX Sports, NASCAR, RFK Racing, Sports Business Journal, and Truist.

On Wednesday, June 28, the 2023 Charlotte Sports Business Fellowship cohort visited FOX Sports Charlotte to learn about careers in the sports media industry including broadcast media, post-production, marketing, engineering and creative services. Steve Craddock, Senior Vice President, Production, Lindsey Mandia, Vice President, Production, and other members of the FOX Sports Charlotte team shared career insights and advice with the Fellows. The cohort participated in on-air simulations with NASCAR Race Hub and Raceday NCTS host Kaitlyn Vincie following a comprehensive guided tour of the FOX Sports Charlotte studios.

FOX Sports partners with Sports Biz Careers to promote inclusion and equity in sports business and increase social capital for underrepresented populations. Throughout the year, FOX Sports hosts virtual and in-person interactive educational opportunities for high school and college students nationwide to discover career pathways in sports media, network and develop professional skills.

Click here to learn more about the Charlotte Sports Business Fellowship.

The event celebrated girls’ soccer in the city, bringing together youth from six local nonprofit organizations, and emphasized the importance of mental health and wellness alongside physical fitness. At Socceroof in Long Island City, the young athletes participated in skills clinics and an e-motion mental health training led by the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport, ending their day with a thrilling indoor soccer tournament.

Joining in on the activities were members of FOX Sports’ preeminent roster of world-class broadcasters including Carli Lloyd, a two-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year and co-captain of the champion USWNT at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, Alexi Lalas, lead studio analyst and former United States Men’s National Team star, Karina LeBlanc, international analyst and five-time FIFA Women’s World Cup goalie with Canada, and current General Manager of the Portland Thorns, JP Dellacamera, the network’s veteran play-by-play voice, and reporter Jenny Taft, who will be embedded with the USWNT throughout the tournament as FOX Sports’ trusted insider.

“The physical aspect of the game is really important, but the mental aspect – all the fears, anxieties, highs and lows – that’s the most difficult thing to navigate,” Lloyd said. “It’s important to have a space where you can talk about the things you’re feeling or have somebody there that can support you.”

FOX Sports’ historic social impact partnership with Common Goal USA advances soccer’s ability to transform the lives of underserved and underrepresented youth in communities across the country. Through its support of Common Goal’s 1% movement, FOX Sports is the first and only national broadcaster of the FIFA World Cupto dedicate a percentage of its tournament coverage to ensuring it shares a message of inclusion through sport and community empowerment. The partnership furthers FOX Sports’ efforts through its FOX Sports Supports community impact program to create fighting chances for all athletes to play and access sports.

To learn more about Common Goal and its mission to harness the power of soccer to bring equitable access to play for all children, visit common-goal.org.

The recipients are Boys & Girls Clubs of Arizona’s candidates for Youth of the Year, Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier leadership program celebrating the extraordinary achievements of Club teens. Arizona’s Youth of the Year candidates are shining examples and living proof that great futures start at Boys & Girls Clubs.

Hakima, 2023 Arizona State Youth of the Year, is an open-minded, fearless young woman with a passion for the arts who credits her time at Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson with restoring hope in her future. Hakima plans to attend Howard University to double major in education and humanities.

Camilla, 2023 Arizona State Military Youth of The Year, is a 4.0 student who has been in the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Youth Program for six years. An accomplished flutist, Camilla plans to attend New York University and double major in music and journalism.

FOX Sports’ Gamechanger Fund was established to benefit nonprofit partners in its Super Bowl host cities and further the FOX Sports Supports mission to create and advance fighting chances for underserved youth and our nation’s military heroes.