"There remains a constant and critical need for adequate playing fields for soccer players of all levels," says U.S. Soccer Foundation's Interim Executive Director John Koskinen. "We're proud of our partnership with Nike and our combined commitment to this program, which brings the highest quality fields and equipment within reach to communities across the U.S."

The NikeGO and U.S. Soccer Foundation partnership provides communities, leagues, clubs, or groups an avenue to apply directly to the U.S. Soccer Foundation for financial grant assistance or to purchase outright a FieldTurf synthetic soccer field package. FieldTurf is a revolutionary synthetic turf that duplicates the playing conditions of real grass-it looks like grass, feels like grass and plays like natural grass. Grantees will also have access to material and support from industry leaders Nike, Kwik Goal (www.kwikgoal.com) Musco Sports Lighting (www.musco.com) and TGI Signage Systems (www.tgiworldwide.com/profile/index.asp) through the program.

FieldTurf and Nike have worked together for six years to produce top-quality soccer and multi-purpose sports fields using Nike Grind, a material comprised of recycled athletic shoe material from Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program. Reuse-A-Shoe, an integral part of NikeGO, is a program that collects, slices, and grinds up defective and post-consumer athletic shoes as well as byproducts from the manufacturing of new Nike
outsoles to make Nike Grind material, which is then used in a variety of sports and play surfaces. FieldTurf uses Nike Grind material from the byproducts of manufacturing of new Nike outsoles exclusively. Since its inception in 1993, Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program has recycled more than 15 million pairs of shoes, and has donated more than 150 athletic courts, tracks, fields and playground surfaces in communities around the world to get kids active.

"We are honored to have the U.S. Soccer Foundation as a partner with NikeGO, and with this partnership it's our goal to bring the joy of physical activity to young athletes of all abilities through the power of soccer," said Joe Elsmore, Nike's Director of U.S. Soccer Sports Marketing.

United States Soccer Foundation:

The U.S. Soccer Foundation is the development and philanthropic arm of soccer in the United States. It was established in 1994 to administer the profits 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. Over its first ten years, 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. It is an activist organization, working wherever possible to expand soccer's reach and to implant it even more firmly in American communities. For more information, visit www.ussoccerfoundation.org.

NikeGO:

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 ages 8-15, offering them the support and motivation to become physically active, stay healthy and have fun. Nike committed more than $10 million last year in cash and products to get kids moving. For more information, visit www.nikego.com.

NIKE, Inc., based in Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer and marketer of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of hockey equipment; Cole Haan*, which markets a line of high-quality men's and women's footwear, accessories and outerwear, and Hurley International LLC, which markets action sports and teen lifestyle apparel.

FieldTurf:
FieldTurf is a privately held company that holds worldwide patents on its products and methods of installation. FieldTurf also offers a full range of golf, landscaping and playground artificial grass solutions. For more information, visit www.FieldTurf.com or call (800) 724-2969.