Youth Soccer Players "Get The Ball Rolling"

Coca-Cola USA and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Get the Ball Rolling with a Free Soccer Clinic to Encourage Active, Healthy Living

Minneapolis youth at the "Get the Ball Rolling" soccer clinic sponsored by Coca-Cola

Minneapolis, July 30, 2013 – This afternoon more than 100 young people gathered at the East Phillips Community Center to enjoy skill drills, scoring sessions, ball control exercises and small-sided games in a free soccer clinic sponsored by Coca-Cola USA. A professional goalkeeper and a few semi-professional soccer players from Lions FC teamed up with local Coca-Cola employees and led the kids in soccer drills. Coca‑Cola employees also shared tips on the importance of active, healthy living.

“Summer is a great time of year for people to come together to enjoy outdoor activities and learn about the importance of active, healthy living,” said John Glotfely, Market Unit Vice President, Coca-Cola Refreshments. “The Minneapolis Park system plays a vital role in helping kids learn the importance of staying active, so we’re really pleased to work with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to bring this program to kids in our area.”

In addition to sponsoring the soccer clinic, Coca-Cola USA donated 100 soccer balls to ten different community centers in the Minneapolis Park system so that kids all across the city can benefit from them. The Recreation Centers receiving the donations are: Armatage, Bottineau, Keewaydin, Lake Hiawatha, VanCleve, Bethune, East Phillips, Luxton, Matthews and Sibley. This program is part of Coca-Cola USA’s “Get the Ball Rolling” initiative which aims to inspire 3 million people to get outside and stay active this summer while having fun doing it. With a nationwide focus on identifying solutions to fight obesity, Coca-Cola USA is giving away 100,000 soccer balls across the United States this summer to encourage people in their communities to come together and enjoy staying active. The Coca-Cola Company has a long tradition of supporting physical activity programs in the United States. In 2012, The Coca-Cola Company and its Foundation gave more than $13 million to support active, healthy communities and it will continue to provide grants in this area again in 2013.

The MPRB Youth Sports Department provides positive recreation experiences for Minneapolis kids. These experiences help youth develop new physical and social skills in a fun, participatory and safe environment under the guidance of knowledgeable and supportive coaches. In this way the Youth Sports programs contribute to the individual's physical, social, emotional, cultural and educational growth and development.

“We’re happy to work with Coca-Cola USA on the ‘Get the Ball Rolling’ initiative. Helping youth learn about the importance of physical activity is core to our youth sports mission,” said MPRB Commissioner Bob Fine. “On behalf of our recreation centers and all of us at the Park Board, thank you to Coca-Cola for their generous soccer ball donation – this donation will benefit ten recreation centers in our park system.”

For more than 127 years, it has been a priority for Coca-Cola to make a positive difference in people’s lives across the globe. According to articles published in this year’s PLoS One journal, a generation ago, 75 percent of American youth played outside daily; nowadays, only 25 percent do. Coca-Cola USA’s “Get the Ball Rolling” campaign is a great way to inspire people to lead more active, healthy lives.

For more information on Coca-Cola’s efforts, go to livepostively.com/GetTheBallRolling.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 16 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of more than 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or check out our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.

About Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

With 197 park properties totaling 6,744 acres of land and water, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board provides places and recreation opportunities for all people to gather, celebrate, contemplate, and engage in activities that promote health, well-being, community and the environment. The Minneapolis Park System’s neighborhood parks, recreation centers and diversified programming have made the Minneapolis Park System an important component of what makes Minneapolis a great place to live, play and work. To learn more about the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, visit www.minneapolisparks.org, like the MPRB Facebook page, or follow MPRB on Twitter @mplsparkboard.

Contact:
Karin Holt                                                                             
Coca-Cola Refreshments
kaholt@coca-cola.com
Office: 651-405-6254
Cell: 612-222-8883
 
Robin Smothers
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
Office: 612-230-6410
Cell: 612-499-9052
rsmothers@minneapolisparks.org