Team with great purpose and new philanthropic mission

San Diego CA— Albion Soccer Club (ASC) San Diego will launch its third professional season with a dedication to winning and a focus on philanthropy. This year, the team will introduce a new name, new web site, new ownership, new community partners, and a new social enterprise, where at least $1 of every ticket sold will be donated to a local San Diego-based nonprofit organization. One partner will be selected for each game, with the first game honoring San Diego Center for Children, the oldest children’s nonprofit organization in San Diego. In addition, the team will recognize San Diego’s greatest community leaders inspiring greatness throughout our region.
“We’re excited to announce our 2018 schedule, our new philanthropy model and our new fundraising partnership with San Diego-based Classy, which will help to raise money for local nonprofit organizations throughout the course of the season,” said Noah Gins, CEO and Co-Founder of ASC San Diego. “San Diego has huge potential to become a top leader in the soccer community, and we believe that ASC’s integrated philanthropic approach will lead the way on and off the field.”
Classy, a social enterprise that creates online and mobile fundraising tools, will power ASC’s philanthropic efforts through its software, allowing ASC and its fans to donate and fundraise for the selected nonprofits. To deepen their commitment, Classy will also match every donation that ASC San Diego makes through its ticket sales throughout the 2018 season.
“Like ASC, Classy was founded here in San Diego, and we care deeply about finding ways to give back to the local community that has supported our own growth through the years,” said Scot Chisholm, CEO & Co-Founder of Classy. “ASC’s unique philanthropy model challenges the status quo of how sports teams are typically led, so we’re inspired and thrilled to support their efforts to strengthen our community through the game of soccer.”
Soccer is the most played sport in America with 19 million participants and is now the third most-watched sport, recently surpassing the NBA and the NHL. San Diego itself is already the #9 soccer market in the United States. ASC, which was founded in Point Loma in 1981, is one of San Diego’s oldest soccer clubs. In 2015, ASC launched a professional team to complete its full
pyramid strategy, competing in the National Premier Soccer League and qualifying for the US Open Cup. ASC is now regarded as San Diego’s most successful outdoor professional soccer team and will utilize this year to make a move up into higher divisions in 2019.
“We are one of the only clubs in America to successfully build a ‘full pyramid’ soccer organization—a professional soccer team that sits atop, 10 teams in our US Development Academy, 130 teams in our Albion Academy, 100 teams in our Albion Junior recreational program, and community programs that form the base,” said Gins.
He added, “With the U.S. National team not making the World Cup for the first time in 30 years, there is more pressure than ever to change the way we develop players in this country, and ASC is at the forefront with this approach.”
ASC San Diego’s pre-season opened with a closed-door game against XOLOS, a professional Mexican football club out of Tijuana, on Saturday, February 10, 2018, followed by the launch of the season with two key pre-season match ups on March 3 and March 10, both of which will be played at Mission Bay Stadium in Pacific Beach. The first home Regular Season game will be against FC ARIZONA on Saturday, March 24, location to be announced. All tickets will go on sale Thursday, February 15 at www.asc-sandiego.com. The team is managed by Head Coach Jeffrey “Ziggy” Korytoski, assisted by Andre Schmid, Frankie Sanfilippo, Marc Riley, and Martin Johnson with players from all over the world with professional, national, and collegiate playing experience.
“Our goal for 2018/2019 is both ambitious and attainable,” said Gins. “We are prepared to build upon the foundation that we’ve developed over the past several decades, move up the U.S. Soccer Pyramid, and increase our stake as a dedicated community partner.”