10.19.2004 ET

(CSRwire) CHICAGO - Lawndale community kids got a kick out of their own world-class soccer field when gold medal-winning soccer stars Mia Hamm and Briana Scurry from the U.S. Women's National Team visited Douglas Park today to dedicate a new half-million dollar FieldTurf soccer field donated by NikeGO and the U.S. Soccer Foundation.

Working in conjunction with the Chicago Park District, the new soccer field has been made possible with a $500,000 joint donation from NikeGO and the U.S. Soccer Foundation. NikeGO is Nike's signature U.S. community affairs initiative and the company's long-term commitment to getting kids more physically active. The innovative FieldTurf soccer field at Douglas Park includes outsole rubber from approximately 75,000 pairs of athletic shoes as part of the Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program.

"Access to sports facilities is key in giving kids the means to become more active, stay healthy and have fun. Nike is proud to play an important role in providing kids in Chicago the opportunity to experience soccer on a world-class surface, in their very own neighborhood," said Larry Harper, general manager, Nike Chicago. "We hope this field becomes a valuable destination point for activity in the Douglas Park community for many generations to come."

"We're proud to be part of this wonderful new field that will give so much to the young athletes of West Chicago," said John Koskinen, President of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. "The U.S. Soccer Foundation's goal is to enrich lives through soccer. We have made more than $35 million available to our sport over the past seven years, and when we look at a field like this, it is an excellent example of the success possible with true teamwork."

Women's soccer legend, Mia Hamm, and veteran goal keeper and former Chicagoan, Briana Scurry, were on hand to help officially kick off play on the innovative new field with a unique "shoestring untying ceremony." A soccer clinic for local kids will also take place.

"By creating these amazing soccer fields, Nike and the U.S. Soccer Foundation are helping more and more kids discover the joy of playing soccer," said Mia Hamm. "I've been spending a lot of time in Chicago lately so I appreciate that the kids here have access to a world-class field."

"As a former Chicagoan, I'm particularly happy to be involved in the Douglas Park field dedication since it will keep Chicago kids playing soccer for years to come," said Briana Scurry. "I applaud the efforts of NikeGO and the U.S. Soccer Foundation for committing to growing soccer in the U.S."

The Douglas Park FieldTurf Soccer Field features a high-performance, low-maintenance surface that incorporates Nike Grind material made from byproduct (or what was once waste) from the manufacturing of new Nike footwear outsoles. An amount of rubber equivalent to approximately 75,000 pairs of athletic shoes was recycled and used to create the Douglas Park Field. The field will allow hundreds of kids of all ages the opportunity to play soccer on a world-class field.

"The City of Chicago continues to work on creating positive alternatives for kids, and I want to thank NikeGO and the U.S. Soccer Foundation for working with the Park District to make the Douglas soccer field a reality," stated Mayor Richard M. Daley. "These types of public-private partnerships are helping to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods and make Chicago truly a great place to live."

"The completion of the soccer field at Douglas Park is an exemplary model for what can be accomplished when agencies combine their talents and resources," said Chicago Park District General Superintendent Tim Mitchell. "Thanks to the generosity of NikeGo and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, we are able to offer Douglas Park community children the opportunity to play one of their favorite sports on a state-of-the-art new field."

Chicago Reuse-A-Shoe Donations
Chicagoans can take part in the Reuse-A-Shoe program by donating their old athletic shoes (any brand, not just Nike) at Niketown Chicago or the Nike Factory Store in Aurora, Ill. For other drop-off locations in Illinois, visit www.nikereuseashoe.com

United States Soccer Foundation
The philanthropic arm of soccer in the United States, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has made more than $35,000,000 worth of financial support available to the game and continues its innovative approach to gaining support from private, public and government sectors. The Foundation was established in 1994 to administer the surplus funds from the phenomenally successful 1994 FIFA World Cup. Since that time it has managed to provide enormous benefit to soccer at all levels while at the same time maintaining a wise investment policy that has protected 100% of the original corpus. It is an activist organization, working wherever possible to expand soccer's reach and to implant it even more firmly in American communities.

Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc., based in Beaverton, Oregon is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan® a leading designer and marketer of luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for the value retail channel.

NikeGO and the Reuse-A-Shoe Program:
NikeGO is Nike's signature U.S. community affairs initiative and the company's long-term commitment to getting kids more physically active. The program's mission is to increase physical activity in youth, offering them the support and motivation to become physically active, stay healthy and have fun. In its most recent fiscal year, Nike contributed more than $10.5 million in cash and products and served more than 150,000 kids across the U.S. through its programs and partnerships. Nike also committed more than $2.5 million to promote the sport of soccer across the U.S. by awarding 50 communities over five years with grants to be used towards the installation of FieldTurf soccer fields which are made with recycled rubber from the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program.

Reuse-A-Shoe is an integral part of NikeGO, and aims to help get kids active by providing them the means to do it. Reuse-A-Shoe collects, slices, and grinds up old and unusable athletic shoes to make Nike Grind material, which is then used in a variety of sports surfaces, called NikeGO Places. Nike Grind material is comprised of the following: shoes from post-consumer collections, Nike shoes that have a material or workmanship flaw (defectives), and byproduct (what was once considered waste) from the manufacturing of Nike footwear outsoles. Since its inception in 1993, Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program has recycled more than 16 million pairs of shoes, and has donated more than 170 NikeGO Places--basketball and tennis courts, tracks, fields and playground surfaces--in communities around the world. For NikeGO grant information, visit www.nikego.com. For more information about Reuse-A-Shoe, including where to drop-off shoes to be recycled, visit www.nikereuseashoe.com.

FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a revolutionary synthetic turf, designed with a single goal in mind: to create an artificial surface that duplicates the playing conditions of real grass. FieldTurf and Nike have worked together to produce top-quality football, soccer and multi-purpose sports fields using Nike Grind material comprised of byproduct from the manufacturing of Nike footwear outsoles. Over the past few years, the quality and performance of FieldTurf's patented system has resulted in over 950 installations in more than 40 countries and has made it the first choice for top stadiums around the world. FieldTurf is a privately held company that has revolutionized the artificial turf industry with its patented products and installation technologies. FieldTurf offers a full range of artificial grass solutions. For more information on FieldTurf, please visit www.fieldturf.com, or call (800) 724-2969.

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