Earthquakes Announce Grow the Game: Next 50 Initiative

March 28, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release

SAN JOSE, Calif. – As part of their 50th anniversary season, the San Jose Earthquakes have announced a new initiative, Grow the Game: Next 50, aimed at growing soccer at the grassroots level as the club embarks on their next 50 years. The purpose of the Quakes’ efforts is to make the sport more accessible across Northern California through coaching education, partnerships with youth soccer organizations and local municipalities , clinics, camps, and capital projects.

The initiative will commence with 10 events around the City of San José, starting with a Soccer Celebration Kickoff in East San Jose at Foxdale Village Apartments with District 5 Councilmember Peter Ortiz on Friday, April 5. The club’s grassroots team will be on hand to provide a soccer skills challenge, face-painting, a Quakes player locker display, and giveaways for over 50 kids. Overall, the Quakes plan to engage with more than 50 other cities around the region to grow the sport in 2024 and the next half-century.

Leading up to the project as it kicks into gear, the club has already been active in a variety of events in 2024. On February 10, the Quakes supported the grand opening of La Bombonera, a new indoor futsal court in San Leandro with over 200 community members in attend ance. Prior to the team’s home opener on March 1, Quakes midfielder Edwyn Mendoza ran a soccer skills challenge at Katherine Smith Elementary School in his native East San Jose neighborhood during the City of San José’s latest Viva Parks Night. The following week, Quakes players including MLS All-Star Cristian Espinoza and staff visited McKinley Elementary School to team up with national nonprofit America SCORES and donate 150 soccer balls.

“The Earthquakes and the Quakes Foundation are so excited to help grow the game here in San Jose and Northern California over the next 50 years,” said Robert Davis, Earthquakes VP of Community Relations. “Our presence and collaboration with local stakeholders, including local government, nonprofits, and youth organizations will allow us to help make the beautiful game more accessible to everyone in the community we love.”

Under the Grow the Game initiative, the Quakes have built the following programming:

District Events in San Jose

The Earthquakes will partner with the City of San Jose on events in every district in the City through the Viva Parks program, a series of free events hosted by San José Parks,…