March 20, 2019
Baltimore, MD
The Black Soccer Membership Association (BSMA) is set to launch its second Soccer to Achieve program in Baltimore City following its launch at the Langston Hughes Business and Resource Center, as it prepares to enter into a partnership with the Black Professional Men, Inc (BPM). The BPM is headquartered on the campus of Morgan St. University, one of the most historic Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the country. The BSMA joined the association earlier this month which includes some heavy hitting companies including energy company Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), television giant COMCAST, and food magnet Chick-Fil-A.
The BPM also features some of the most successful black males in the country. One of the three founders of the organization Edwin Avent, has built and sold several multi-million dollar companies ranging from real estate to technology. One of the organization’s brightest young stars, Brandon Hurst is the franchise owner/operator of multiple Chick-Fil-A’s in Baltimore and New York. When ask why the need to partner with the BPM seeing that the organization does not have a soccer background, Chairman and CEO Justin Reid explained, “We are all heading in the same direction with the need to impact our community. We just so happen to be in the business of soccer, and many of the BPM’s members are in the business of multiple industries. As an organization we always like to think outside of the box to see how we can enter into non-traditional soccer partnerships to promote our brand and to be of value to our partners. We have heard it time and time again that African-Americans have no interest in soccer, but data shows that isn’t true as the sport continues to grow across the nation. We just felt that the BPM was a great fit at the right time.”
The Soccer to Achieve program will begin May 10th with the six-week clinic to introduce a large sector of Baltimore City to soccer. It will follow the same model as its after-school program to incorporate an Evaluator to gauge how soccer has made an impact into the lives of the participants. The program will charge a nominal fee of $75 for 6 clinic sessions and will include a jersey. It will feature a maximum of 80 participants.