For the second year in a row, Sport Court will be the centerpiece for sitting volleyball at Prince Harry’s Invictus Games
Prince Harry started the Invictus Games as a way to honor the injured servicewomen and men to help them recover from their “physical and mental wounds”. The 2017 games in Toronto is the third year military athletes from all over the globe will compete, while all coming to win for their country it’s not their single purpose for being at the games.
Leading synthetic turf manufacturer issues open statement of congratulations
Act Global participated in the 15th edition of the Homeless World Cup event in Oslo, Norway last week through its donation of three top quality artificial grass pitches. These fields hosted hundreds of players from around the world in an effort to help each of these players and numerous other players in their home countries away from homelessness.
The United Nations estimates a 100 million people are homeless worldwide. As many as 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing. The Homeless World Cup Foundation (co-founded by Mel Young) works to “Beat Homelessness through Football” through 74 different grassroots social programs. The efforts continue to raise new heights as men’s and women’s teams representing 50 countries participated in this year’s event in Oslo.
Act Global CEO John Baize remarks, “We want to thank and congratulate the Homeless World Cup players, the numerous volunteers and staff, its sponsors and the organization. As synthetic grass suppliers, Act Global has seen poverty in its sales in 80 countries around the world. We see how homelessness is caused by death, poverty, lack of sufficient employment, disability, trauma or many other reasons. While extreme poverty is pervasive around the world, in my home country of the United States every year 3.5 million people including over 1 million children are homeless. These homeless people are not ‘them’ – they are ‘us’. They are fathers, mothers, uncles, sisters, grandparents, and daughters. Homelessness is a world problem, but not one without hope for change.”
“We all know and understand how playing sports can have a tremendous impact on a person’s physical and mental health. Through the use of synthetic turf, we can give millions of adults and children around the world the ability to spend more time building themselves up and a time away from the streets. The Homeless World Cup Foundation is another example of this and will serve as a tool for homeless people to change their lives while opening our eyes and hearts. Act Global is so blessed to be a small part of this event by donating the playing surfaces. To the players, we are cheering for you not just for this event but in reminding all of us that you are important, you are needed and you have brilliant football skills.”
About Homeless World Cup
The Homeless World Cup operates via a network of 74 national partners, supporting football-based programmes and social enterprise development around the world. These street football organizations run local projects in 420 cities, reaching 100,000 homeless people every year. So far, the Homeless World Cup and its partners have impacted the lives of 1 million homeless people around the globe. Some of the ambassadors for the organization include Colin Farrell, Honey Thaljieh, Tegla Loroupe, Scott Brown, David Eustace, Desiree Scott, Irvine Welsh, Kevin Carroll, Jason Roberts, Whitney Mercilus, and Jeb Brovsky.
About Act Global
Act Global is a world leader in synthetic turf technology, with manufacturing facilities on three continents and sales in more than 80 countries. The company carries a full range of products for sports (Xtreme Turf, UBU, and Xtreme Grass), landscaping (Xtreme Lawn), aviation (AvTurf) and land reclamation (LiteEarth). Act Global is a FIFA Preferred Producer for Football Turf, Synthetic Turf Council Certified Manufacturer, World Rugby Preferred Turf Producer, FIH Preferred Supplier, and holds ISO 9001 Certification. Its products have undergone hundreds of independent laboratory tests for quality, durability, safety, environmental soundness and performance. For more information, visit http://www.actglobal.com
Austin, TX- For the third consecutive year, Act Global has collaborated with the Homeless World Cup to be the official turf sponsor and donor. This year’s tournament took place in Oslo, Norway, and brought together 50 countries with more than 500 players for the eight-day festival.
The Homeless World Cup is an annual celebration by the participating National Partners that use the power of football to help those who are homeless or socially disadvantaged. By playing football, individuals who have become displaced and isolated can build relationships as well as reintroduce structure and support into their lives. The tournament is an opportunity for individuals who are invisible on the streets to become heroes on the field while representing their nation. Norway’s capital city hosted the 15th edition of the Homeless World Cup from August 29- September 5.
An estimated 100 million people are homeless worldwide, and as many as 1 billion lack access to suitable housing. Of past Homeless World Cup participants, 94 percent have said that the event positively impacted their life, and 77 percent have experienced significant change.
Gathered from a uniting love of football, the participants had the opportunity to play on a professional-level synthetic turf system from Act Global. The durable, consistent, all-weather surface was more than just a pitch for the participants, rather a place to belong. It is on these fields that players were joined by thousands of fans, volunteers and members of the media for the celebration of strength and resiliency. In the end, Brazil’s mixed team won the tournament for the third year in a row, and Mexico’s women’s team claimed victory in the female bracket.
“We love working with the Homeless World Cup”, comments director Chris Clapham. “Each year we have the opportunity to witness the positive impact that the tournament leaves on the players, and it is a privilege to watch this impact grow each year. We congratulate and are inspired by the remarkable work by the Homeless World Cup co-founder Mel Young, and his entire organization. They have truly changed the world.”