Celebrity Soccer Match At the Home Depot Center
Hollywood United Stars Kicking it Around
On June 27th, Hollywood United will take the field at the world class Home Depot Center Soccer Stadium. Featuring film, television and musicians from the entertainment world, the charity celebrity soccer game will benefit GrassRoots [sic] Soccer, an AIDS awareness charity founded by Survivor star Ethan Zohn. The match also will benefit The Home Depot Center Foundation, a charity dedicated to giving disadvantaged youth the chance to enjoy the nation’s top sports facility, and the National Organization of AIDS Awareness. Soccer team Hollywood United plays in the Olympic Soccer League in Santa Monica, CA, and helped create The Home Depot Center’s first-ever charity celebrity soccer match.
The Celebrity Charity Game is part of a triple-header soccer bonanza at The Home Depot Center. Following the Celebrity Match, the best women’s soccer players in the world will take the field as the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) returns to action. Featuring the Women’s Olympic stars including Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy and Shannon Boxx, the WUSA event will feature the San Diego Spirit vs. the Carolina Courage and the San Jose Cyberays vs. the Philadelphia Charge. The Women’s United Soccer Association and AEG are jointly promoting the event.
Celebrities scheduled to appear: (more celebrity participants to be confirmed)
Music Team
Ian Astbury, The Doors, The Cult
Viv Campbell, Def Leppard
Phil Collen , Def Leppard
Chris Shifett, Foo Fighters
Billy Duffy, The Cult
Alexi Lalas, former MLS/Italian League/World Cup Player
Steve Jones, Sex Pistols
Eric Wynalda, Former MLS/World Cup Player
Ethan Zohn, Survivor winner (reality TV Show)
Balthazar Getty, actor/musician
Chris Sullivan, Former World Cup Player, Commentator Fox Sports World
Gerry Cantrel, Alice in Chains
Ian Feur, English Premier League Player, Former MLS Player
Movie/TV Team
Vinnie Jones, “Snatch,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Road Trip,” former English Premier League Player
Jason Statham, “The Transporter”, “Snatch”
Anthony Lapaglia, “Without a Trace” (CBS, TV Show)
Owen Wilson, “Starsky & Hutch,” “Around the World in 80 Days”
John Harkes, former MLS/World Cup Player
Louis Mandylor, “The Game of Their Lives,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”
Costas Mandylor, “The Game of Their Lives”
Zak Ty Bryan, “Home Improvement” (TV Show), “Game of Their Lives”
Simon Rex, “Jack & Jill” (TV Show), “Scary Movie 3″
Jimmy-Jean Louis, “The Game of Their Lives,” “Tears of the Sun”
Danny Cannon, Producer “CSI,” “CSI Miami”
Bokkem Woodbine, “The Rock,” “3000 Miles to Graceland”
Michael K. Williams, “The Wire” (TV Show)
Ian Mckee, “The Bachelorette” (reality TV Show)
Tickets are available by visiting The Home Depot Center Box office, by calling Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232 or via the Internet at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets are priced from $15-$30. Groups of 15 or more receive a $5 discount on tickets. For group tickets, call (877) 3-GALAXY or (866) LA-GROUP.
The Home Depot Center is southern California’s new home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. The $150-million privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. The Home Depot Center features a 13,000-seat stadium for tennis, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 20,000-seat facility for track & field, the ADT Event Center, a 3500-seat indoor velodrome (opening summer 2004) and other facilities for softball, baseball, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports.
Featuring the best women’s soccer players in the world, WUSA athletes include U.S. stars Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Briana Scurry, Abby Wambach, Kristine Lilly, Shannon Boxx Julie Foudy and dozens of international stars such as Germany’s Birgit Prinz and France’s Marinette Pichon. The eight WUSA teams that competed during the 2003 season were the Atlanta Beat, Boston Breakers, Carolina Courage, New York Power, Philadelphia Charge, San Diego Spirit, San Jose CyberRays and the Washington Freedom.
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, the London Arena, The Forum (as exclusive booking agent for sports and entertainment programming), HealthSouth Training Center and NextStage at Grand Prairie and Kodak Theaters (as operators); sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), the Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Reading Royals (ECHL), Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, New York/New Jersey Metrostars, San Jose Earquakes and DC United (MLS), six hockey franchises operated in Europe and management of shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) owned by Philip Anschutz; AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales, naming rights and consulting company; AEG Creative, a full-service marketing and advertising agency and AEG Live, a collection of companies devoted to all aspects of live entertainment including: Spring Communications, devoted to creation and marketing of live events for pay-per-view and other electronic media; Creative Battery, producers of live entertainment for a variety of media and venues; Concerts West and Golden Voice, live entertainment promotion and touring companies.
Grassroot Soccer
Grassroot Soccer is an international AIDS awareness organization composed of former and current professional soccer players who have played around the world including Zimbabwe.
The aim of Grassroot Soccer is to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS by training well known soccer players to educate at-risk youth about the dangers of HIV infection and about the most effective ways to protect themselves. The pilot study has begun in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and will run for 7 months. Professional soccer players from Zimbabwe are being trained as HIV educators and will meet with children twice weekly for two-week sessions at a number of schools in Bulawayo. Using an exciting and culturally sensitive curriculum, the player educators will impart the knowledge and tools necessary for children to reduce their risk of acquiring HIV and AIDS.
Home Depot Charitable Foundation
Foundation Mission Statement
The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation was established to provide financial and in-kind support for educational, recreational and social service programs which improve the lives of young people in the Greater Southern California region.
The foundation has a particular focus on serving the area immediately surrounding The Home Depot Center, located in the city of Carson.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF AIDS AWARNESS (NOAA)
The National Organization of AIDS Awareness (NOAA), with chapters in New York, Chicago and New Orleans has recently arrived in Southern California to help stop the spread of AIDS by educating the public about this devastating disease. Their AIDS prevention program is targeting some of the hardest hit communities in America by hosting a series of exciting events throughout this summer and fall including an art exhibit, cocktail parties and mixers, a beach party, a weekend excursion and more.