Heineken® Brings Soccer Legend, Andrea Pirlo And The UEFA Champions League Trophy To New York City

Heineken® & the Italian soccer icon link up to offer New York fans “Unmissable” moments during the tour, including a match viewing party and rare trophy engagements

White Plains, NY – April 16, 2019 (PRNewswire) The UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® is bringing Champions League icon and legend of the game, former A.C. Milan, Juventus and New York City FC midfielder Andrea Pirlo, back to New York.

The tour provides soccer fans around the world with a chance to get closer to the iconic UEFA Champions League Trophy and to heroes of the game. In its twelve-year history, the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken has reached 31 countries across Africa, Asia, North and South America. This year’s tour will visit New York City by way of Yankee Stadium on April 27 at a New York City FC match and the Seaport District on April 30, with additional surprise consumer touchpoints throughout.

Heineken’s 2018/19 UEFA Champions League campaign entitled, ‘Unmissable’ is based on the belief that every UEFA Champions League match has unmissable moments of action for everyone to enjoy. Heineken is bringing these moments to life for soccer fans across the globe by providing them with unforgettable event experiences, enabling them to get closer to the iconic UEFA Champions League Trophy and legends of the game.

As part of its global campaign, the 2019 UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® will stop in New York from April 27 to April 30. For four days, fans will have a rare opportunity to take photos with the UEFA Champions League Trophy, meet Andrea Pirlo and experience the thrill of the tour throughout New York City.

Andrea Pirlo is considered one of the best players of his generation, having won the 2006 World Cup for Italy, two Champions League trophies with AC Milan, and six Serie A titles in his time between Milan and Juventus, while also collecting three Serie A Footballer of the Year awards with the latter. Pirlo has a historic link to the UEFA Champions League and plays a significant role in demonstrating the intense passion for the tournament.

“Love for the beautiful game across the U.S. continues to skyrocket and we’re excited to give fans access to an unmissable experience with the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken®,” said Bjorn Trowery, Director of External Communications at Heineken USA. “New York City is the crossroads of the world, and we can’t wait to offer supporters a chance to get close to one of the world’s most celebrated trophies, while offering up some incredible moments alongside Heineken.”

To kick off Heineken’s ‘Unmissable’ campaign in New York City, the UEFA Champions League Trophy will be unveiled at New York’s iconic Yankee Stadium on April 27, giving consumers the official first look ahead of the NYCFC vs. Orlando City soccer match.

Following on April 30, UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® will host a one-of-a-kind outdoor viewing event for consumers to catch the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals match and enjoy Heineken 0.0 down in the Seaport District. The viewing party will be open to the public, and consumers will have the chance to meet legend Andrea Pirlo and take photos with the UEFA Champions League Trophy.

This year, the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® will visit in South Africa, Namibia, Indonesia, Mozambique, Indonesia, China, Nigeria and USA

To follow the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken® on social, visit @Heineken and use #Unmissable and #UCLTrophyTour.

Editorial information:
For more information, please contact:
Caitlin Fay, 212.729.2495, Caitlin.Fay@edelman.com

About HEINEKEN:
HEINEKEN is the world’s most international brewer. It is the leading developer and marketer of premium beer and cider brands. Led by the Heineken® brand, the Group has a portfolio of more than 250 international, regional, local and speciality beers and ciders. We are committed to innovation, long-term brand investment, disciplined sales execution and focused cost management. Through “Brewing a Better World”, sustainability is embedded in the business and delivers value for all stakeholders. HEINEKEN has a well-balanced geographic footprint with leadership positions in both developed and developing markets. We employ over 80,000 employees and operate breweries, malteries, cider plants and other production facilities in more than 70 countries. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares trade on the Euronext in Amsterdam. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on Reuters under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. HEINEKEN has two sponsored level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programmes: Heineken N.V. (OTCQX: HEINY) and Heineken Holding N.V. (OTCQX: HKHHY). Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN’s website: www.theHEINEKENcompany.com and follow us on Twitter via @HEINEKENCorp.

About the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken®:
The Trophy Tour is a chance for football fans around the world to get closer to the iconic UEFA Champions League Trophy. Our 2018/19 campaign – ‘Unmissable Moments’ – will see fan experiences that go beyond the 90 minutes of the match activated across the globe. The Trophy Tour concept was developed to enable fans everywhere to be able to get closer to the UEFA Champions League competition, particularly those who would normally only be able to experience the competition through watching it on the television. Over 60% of UEFA Champions League fans enjoy the competition from outside Europe, so through the Trophy Tour, Heineken® helps UEFA to extend the reach to a global fan base in key markets.

Key Dates:

Trophy Tour Stop 1 – South Africa 4 – 6 March 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 2 – Namibia 7 – 8 March 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 3 – Indonesia 11 – 17 March 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 4 – Mozambique 6 – 7 April 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 5 – China 9 – 13 April 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 6 – Nigeria 16 – 18 April 2019
Trophy Tour Stop 7 – USA 27 – 30 April 2019
UEFA Champions League Final – Madrid 1 June 2019

New York City Football Club Expands Partnership With Goya Foods To Promote Sports & Healthy Eating

New York, NY – Sept. 20, 2018 (PRNewswire) New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic owned food company in the United States, have today announced the renewal of the partnership to further promote the importance of living a healthy lifestyle through sports and proper nutrition.

Since the Club’s inaugural season in 2015, Goya has been a terrific NYCFC partner and is now expanding the partnership by adding more youth clinics and becoming the presenting partner of the Healthy Hat-Trick, an educational curriculum that uses soccer to teach and encourage children to lead a healthy, active lifestyle through eating a balanced diet, exercise and setting goals. With this partnership renewal, NYCFC and Goya will be able to have an even greater impact on local youth.

To celebrate the renewal of the multi-year partnership, NYCFC and Goya launched a brand new version of the Healthy Hat-Trick curriculum for the new school year and hosted a youth soccer clinic with NYCFC defender Ronald Matarrita on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at P.S. 49 in the Bronx. The workbook will be used in P.S. 49, and a total of 14 public elementary schools throughout the City, as part of the free in-school and after-school soccer programming made possible by City in the Community, the charity proudly supported by NYCFC.

The partnership expansion also includes:

  • Four youth clinics for approximately 100 children with on-field soccer activities and workshops on the importance of education and nutrition, as well as opportunities for the children to watch NYCFC play a home match at Yankee Stadium. The clinics will be held on soccer pitches throughout New York City and at the Club’s new training facility, Etihad City Football Academy in NY.
  • The second year of #MyGoyaDish, a digital campaign featuring NYCFC players and their favorite Goya dishes in addition to a social media contest where four lucky fans won an opportunity to be part of a cook off event with Goya Chef Fernando Desa at the Institute of Culinary Education in downtown Manhattan. The winners partnered up with four team players to see who could create the best dish using Goya products.
  • Hispanic Heritage Night presented by Goya Foods at NYCFC’s home game on Saturday, September 8, 2018. The match featured a special national anthem performance, one of a kind “Vamos Celestes” scarves sold exclusively at the team store as part of the City Scarf Series, City Beats playing Latin songs during half-time and a sampling of Goya products, amongst other activities. Goya Chef Fernando Desa cooked Latin inspired dishes featured in Legends Suite at Yankee Stadium. Fans were encouraged to bring country flags to the stadium to show their Hispanic heritage pride.

Senior Vice President of Goya Foods, Joe Perez, commented:

“We look forward to a great multi-year partnership with New York City FC and the thousands of soccer fans who have supported the team from the very beginning. Goya has always believed in providing families with healthy food and supporting initiatives that will benefit the overall wellness of our communities. We believe this partnership is an ideal fit to help teach our children healthy habits and to build a foundation for a healthier future.”

To celebrate the renewal of Goya's multi-year partnership, NYCFC and Goya launched a brand new version of the Healthy Hat-Trick curriculum for the new school year and hosted a youth soccer clinic with NYCFC defender Ronald Matarrita on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at P.S. 49 in the Bronx.

New York City FC President, Jon Patricof, continued:

“We are pleased to extend our partnership with Goya. They have been a terrific Club partner and ambassador for our sport. Through our partnership, Goya has helped us to bring unique experiences to our fans and promote healthy lifestyles in the multicultural communities that we are proud to represent by bringing together healthy food and soccer.”

About New York City Football Club

New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Eastern Conference of the league. It was announced as the League’s 20th franchise on 21 May 2013 and is the first and only MLS Club located within the five boroughs of New York City. Majority owned by City Football Group (CFG), New York City FC plays its home games at Yankee Stadium, which is also home to minority owner, the New York Yankees.

New York City FC kicked off its inaugural MLS season in March 2015 and has former US National Team captain Claudio Reyna as its Sporting Director and Domènec Torrent as its Head Coach. Torrent, former Head Coach of Girona FC and Assistant Coach at FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich, has most recently been Pep Guardiola’s right hand man at sister club Manchester City. In November 2016, construction began on New York City FC’s elite First Team training facility featuring one and a half grass fields, team offices and medical and welfare facilities. The facility was opened for the 2018 MLS season and officially named Etihad City Football Academy in New York. The third Academy built across the globe by CFG, the design was overseen by New York based architect Rafael Viñoly, who designed the training facilities for New York City FC’s sister Clubs Manchester City FC and Melbourne City FC.

About GOYA

Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America’s largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world. The combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings and convenient preparation makes Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com.

Sam Cooke
Vice President, Communications
(347) 324-6215
sam.cooke@nycfc.com

Amanda Martson
Director, Communications
(212) 738-5894
amanda.martson@nycfc.com