LOS ANGELES— Amid the madness of MLS Cup week, the LA Galaxy took a moment to give back to the community by presenting a new refurbished turf field at A Place Called Home in South Central Los Angeles.
Six Galaxy players including Omar Gonzalez and A.J. DeLaGarza as well as club President Chris Klein took part in the unveiling of a new turf field, lights and a scoreboard for the facility that is designed to be a safe haven for at risk youth in Los Angeles.
“A Place Called Home is an organization that we’ve worked with just recently. What hit home for us is that this is in our local community and they do a great job of progressing kids from elementary school to middle school to high school and eventually a college education,” said Klein. “It’s important for us to invest in the community that we live and play in. We have a player Oscar Sorto who grew up just down the street, who came up through our Academy and is now playing for the Galaxy so these stories truly resonate with us.”
Added Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez, “This is a commitment of ours to give back to the community and being a part of this community, we feel the need to give back. We feel like we have to give these kids a great field that they can play on.”
Working in tandem with MLS WORKS and the LA Galaxy Foundation, in addition to a field, the Galaxy provided new kits for approximately 500 athletes that participate in organized soccer programing provided by APCH. The Galaxy were joined in their donation by adidas who donated 500 pairs of shoes and 1000 soccer balls for the children of A Place Called Home to play with for years to come.
“This is only the beginning of it, it’s about what we can do afterward,” said Klein, “It’s about coming back here and staying engaged with A Place Called Home and making a difference in the lives of kids in our community.”
(Photo Credit: Hana Asano)
