Procter & Gamble [NYSE:PG] and Inter Miami CF announced a new multilayered partnership that will accelerate youth fútbol development and recognize its role in fueling progress within Hispanic communities in South Florida. The partnership will focus on empowering young Hispanics in the region to realize their potential on and off the pitch. This follows P&G’s recent announcement of a multifaceted partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) where P&G, as a force for good, will collaborate with MLS to support local communities and increase diversity, equality and inclusion across sports and society overall.
P&G and Inter Miami will leverage P&G’s strategic relationship with The Hispanic Star to introduce two unique programs in the community – the Hispanic Star Award and Capitanes del Futuro. The Hispanic Star Award will celebrate individuals in South Florida who are going above and beyond to develop their communities through fútbol. The Capitanes del Futuro program will give local youth an inspirational glimpse of the broad career opportunities available within the sports industry. These programs enable P&G brands such as Old Spice®, Gillette®, Crest®, Oral B®, Dawn®, Charmin®, and Bounty® to add their support to the advancement of the Hispanic community in South Florida.
“We know fútbol is a critical area of focus to help Hispanics progress in America,” said P&G Senior Marketing Director, Jeronimo Escudero. “We look forward to working with our partners at Hispanic Star and Inter Miami CF to help propel the South Florida Hispanic community through better education, better health and better jobs while cultivating their passion for fútbol. This is part of the commitment we made earlier this year to support local communities across the country through our partnership with MLS.”
P&G has been a lead partner of The Hispanic Star since its founding and Inter Miami CF will be the first fútbol team to join the organization. The Hispanic Star is a non-profit collective of major corporations and Hispanic organizations to unify Hispanics and bring solutions that help them overcome barriers and accelerate their progress.
“We are thrilled to be able to support P&G and Inter Miami in their efforts to accelerate the advancement of the Hispanic community. At the core of our joint mission is the recognition that Hispanic progress benefits everyone in America. This partnership will most certainly have a positive impact on Southern Florida and its extensive Latino community,” said Steve Forcione, CEO of We Are all Human, the organization that created and operates the Hispanic Star.
“We are honored to welcome P&G into the Inter Miami family and are excited to work together in support of impactful programs like the Hispanic Star Award and Capitanes del Futuro,” said Inter Miami CF Chief Business Officer, Xavier Asensi. “South Florida is made up of vibrant communities rich in culture, passion and ambition, and we are grateful to be in a position to harness the power of fútbol with great partners to teach Hispanic youth valuable lessons about teamwork and leadership in our beautiful region.”
Hispanic Star Award:
The South Florida community is encouraged to nominate individuals who exhibit the values of work ethic, dependability, generosity, integrity, respect and service, all prevalent in Hispanic culture. In addition, nominees should demonstrate a commitment and impact in at least one of the four priorities for advancing the Hispanic community: better education, better jobs, better health and gender equality.
Inter Miami Midfielder Edison Azcona exemplifies the spirit of the Hispanic Star Award and will serve as the program’s ambassador. The Dominican national team player became the first local to progress through the ranks of Inter Miami’s youth development platform and play for the First Team after earning his first MLS contract at only 17 years old.
Today, Azcona recognized Juan Mesa as the first Hispanic Star Award finalist. As an athletic trainer for Inter Miami, Mesa has made an indelible impact on Azcona, the community and globally throughout his fútbol career. He embodies the work ethic, dependability, generosity, integrity, respect and service values this award celebrates, and he has helped numerous people achieve better health and better jobs. The Colombian-born award recipient became Inter Miami’s first athletic trainer in 2019, following a seven-year career as a trainer with the Haitian National Team, including at the 2016 Copa America Centenario and three Concacaf Gold Cups. Mesa has been an instrumental part of Inter Miami’s journey, having begun his career with the team working with the 120 local youth players who were chosen to participate in the Academy’s inaugural class, which included Azcona. He then earned a spot with the First Team and also continues to work with youth players pursuing their dreams of reaching the professional levels.
Nominations for the Hispanic Star Award are open today through Monday, Aug. 16 at www.intermiamicf.com/Hispanic-Star. Four additional finalists will be selected and also awarded $2,500. The Hispanic Star Award winner will be determined by an open vote and will receive $10,000 for their contributions to advancing Hispanic youth in the community.
The announcements of the finalists and winner will be as follows:
- The next two finalists will be announced on Sunday, Aug. 8, ahead of Inter Miami’s home match vs. Nashville SC.
- The final two finalists will be announced on Wednesday, Aug. 18, ahead of Inter Miami’s home match vs Chicago Fire.
- Voting for the winner will commence between Wednesday, Aug. 18 and Friday, Sept. 10
- The winner will be unveiled on Friday, Sept. 17, as Inter Miami takes on the New York Red Bulls at home to kickoff Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
Capitanes del Futuro:
Capitanes del Futuro will offer youth in the community ages 12 to 16 years old an opportunity to peek inside the exciting non-athletic career opportunities that exist in the sports industry through an immersive two-day camp from October 23-24. The camp will include education classes on nutrition, communications, coaching, fitness, and more, in addition to tours of DRV PNK Stadium and the Inter Miami CF Training Center. Mexican American midfielder Victor Ulloa, who is one of Inter Miami’s four team captains, will be joined by Azcona as honorary coaches for an 11 v 11 game. All participants and their parents will be treated to an Inter Miami match on October 23 vs Cincinnati.
Inter Miami and P&G will kick off the Capitanes del Futuro program with up to 30 local kids who will be identified in collaboration with partnering organizations and schools in the community.
P&G and Inter Miami look forward to continuing to celebrate outstanding individuals and organizations through the Hispanic Star Award and also to supporting local youth through the Capitanes del Futuro program and other programs in the future.
