Toyota Gets a Kick Out of US Youth Soccer

Toyota Sienna and Highlander Featured at National Championship

TORRANCE, Calif. (July 26, 2016) — Toyota is partnering with US Youth Soccer to celebrate the achievements and participation of all youth soccer athletes and coaches at the 2016 US Youth Soccer National Championship in Frisco, Texas, July 26–28. Toyota is also the official automobile of US Youth Soccer.

On-site activities at the National Championship will highlight Toyota Sienna and Highlander through a series of interactive areas that make up the “Let’s Go Play Zone.” Athletes and their families can test their skills on a customized soccer obstacle course for prizes, share a unique photo on social media, and learn more about the vehicles.

The “Let’s Go Play Zone” has been featured at all four US Youth Soccer National Championship Series regional championships, providing Toyota with an opportunity to engage with soccer enthusiasts who travel a lot in support of their favorite club team.

In addition to the activities, Toyota will be hosting players from FC Dallas in the “Let’s Go Play Zone” to engage with fans and sign autographs this week during the National Championship event.

“Toyota has always enjoyed a strong commitment to families in the communities in which we work and play,” says Cooper Ericksen, vice president, Vehicle Marketing and Communications for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “When presented with this unique opportunity to partner with U.S Youth Soccer in our soon-to-be backyard, and given that Toyota already enjoys a strong partnership with FC Dallas and Toyota Stadium, we saw this as an ideal way to support the needs of some of the best youth soccer players in the country and their families.”

"We recognize the countless hours dedicated parents and coaches spend on the road with their youth soccer players each year," US Youth Soccer CEO Chris Moore said, "and we’re proud to partner with Toyota as the Official Automobile of US Youth Soccer."

The partnership between Toyota and US Youth Soccer was created and is being managed by Paragon Marketing Group, LLC.

The Toyota Let’s Go Play Zone activities scheduled for July 26 – 28 include:

FC Dallas Player Appearances: FC Dallas Players will make appearances at the Let’s Go Play Zone each day to sign autographs. Follow Toyota on Facebook and Twitter to verify exact times.
Obstacle Course: An interactive skills competition consisting of three (3) soccer related activities—dribbling, target passing and shooting on goal. Participants will be timed as they complete the entire course. Athletes will be divided into groups based on gender and age. Athletes with the fastest time from each group at the end of each day will win a prize.
Vehicle “Photo Booth”: Participants have the opportunity to climb in a Sienna or Highlander to take a group photo with their teammates and families to commemorate the National Championships. The photos will be instantly available for sharing via Twitter, Facebook, or email.
Vehicle Education: Toyota will showcase the new 2017 Sienna and Highlanders, along with a few additional special edition vehicles.

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About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world’s top automaker and creator of the Prius and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.5 million in the U.S.) in 2015 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.

Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As part of this commitment, we share the company’s extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer)
US Youth Soccer – "The Game for ALL Kids!^®" is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member State Associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

Media Request: When referring to the United States Youth Soccer Association, the largest youth sports organization in the United States, please refer to the association only as US Youth Soccer, and never as USYS or USYSA. We appreciate your cooperation.

About Paragon Marketing Group
Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon’s consulting clients include Bayer, ESPN, Gatorade, PNC Bank, UCHealth, and Yokohama.

Toyota:
Nick Ammazzalorso
310.483.1035
[email protected]

US Youth Soccer:
Communications Dept.
800-4-SOCCER
[email protected]