August 31, 2005

PLYMOUTH, MI -

Last fall, 21 local boys who played soccer on an under-10 team at the Plymouth Soccer Club raised over $2,800 in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s new Soccer Kicks For Cancer program.  When the final totals were in, the boys on the Plymouth Kicks ‘95 learned they were the state’s top fundraising team for the fall 2004 season.

On Tuesday, September 6, they will get their reward when Jonny Walker, the goalie for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer comes to the Lake Pointe Soccer Park in Plymouth (off Haggerty Road north of Schoolcraft Road) to conduct a special instructional clinic to recognize the boys for their hard work and thank them for their support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  This will be the second Soccer Kicks For Cancer that Walker has volunteered to host, the first being for a boys team from Dallastown, PA that was tops in fundraising in the eastern region of that state last year. The highlight was having the kids take shots on him in goal.  (NOTE: The clinic is scheduled to start at 4:15 p.m. with Walker, participants, and reps from the Michigan chapter of the Society available 15 minutes prior. Plymouth Soccer Club players and parents may attend to watch the clinic.)

At the Plymouth Soccer Club, coach Glenn Liguori registered the Kicks ’95 team looking to encourage his players to improve their ball skills and experience the satisfaction of helping others.  “I couldn’t be more proud of what the kid’s achieved.” said Liguori, a veteran of over 20 years coaching youth soccer. “They knew that getting a clinic from a U.S. player with international experience would be really huge, so they made it clear from the beginning that was their goal. "They are really pumped for Jonny’s visit,” added Liguori, whose son Ryan is a member of Kicks ’95. Walker made his debut in goal for the U.S.National team in January 2004 and has a 1-0-2 record in his three international appearances.

The training program for Soccer Kicks For Cancer is built around players completing 2,000 touches on a soccer ball for which they collect a per-touch contribution. Coaches who register teams receive an exclusive SKFC training DVD featuring U.S. soccer legends while players are motivated by incentives such as balls and warm-up suits.  The ultimate reward for teams is a clinic with a current star or legend. Players who have also given SKFC clinics are Cindy Parlow, Taylor Twellman, and Steve Ralston.

Soccer Kicks For Cancer is about healthy kids striving to help others less fortunate by funding research to find a cure for leukemia, which causes more deaths among children and young adults than any other form of cancer. The appeal of the program to coaches and parents is that it goes beyond soccer to teach young people life skills and the importance of community service.

The program is a partnership between The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the National Soccer Team Player’s Association, U. S. Youth Soccer, and Michigan Youth Soccer. One of the driving forces in the development of Soccer Kicks For Cancer was the late Todd Smith, former GM of the New England Revolution, who helped produce the exclusive training DVD prior to his death from leukemia in 2003.

For more on Soccer Kicks For Cancer visit www.soccerkicksforcancer.com or call 888-HELP-LLS.

Media Contacts: Tom Merritt (845) 534-0363 OR Glenn Liguori (734) 646-5581