The 2022 Soccer Ball

When the LouCity and Racing Foundation announced their plans for a “Soccer Ball” earlier this year, I had all of these grandiose ideas about covering the event. I would take photos and interview players, etc. In reality, the event was way too much fun to “work” it. As shown above, I did get a pic of Lauren Milliet holding her Players’ Choice award. Nadia Nadim won the Community Leadership award (Brian Ownby and Sean Totsch won those respective awards for LouCity). However, the highlight of the night was really the event itself. The ball moved along at a crisp pace and for a fundraising event, it was on the thankfully short side. Everyone I talked with was pleased with the turnout. I estimated the crowd at just under 1000. The event surely raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the foundation and I am sure official numbers will come out soon. The real highlights of the night were the speakers. Dr. Scott Goodwin reflected on his time at LouCity and how it helped him achieve his dreams. Carlos Moguel shared his story which represented the work already done by the foundation to remove financial barriers that prevent children from playing soccer at a high level. Finally, George Davis IV shared what the foundation is doing and can still do to impact the lives of young soccer players. The departing voice of Racing Louisville (but still the voice of LouCity) Lance McGarvey was the master of ceremonies and kept the evening fun.

Although there has been nothing officially announced, it would be very easy to picture this an an annual event. The tickets were a bit on the expensive side, so maybe there is an opportunity to hold another charitable/fundraising event that could be open for more people, but that shouldn't diminish the impact of this event. I congratulate Soccer Holdings and the LouCity and Racing Foundation on a fun and successful night.

And I think we found a new motto to live by…