Tonight, New York Red Bulls II will host their first Pride Night against Tampa Bay Rowdies presented by Alementary Brewing Company.
Alementary Brewing Company opened in 2016 by Blake Crawford and Michael Roosevelt, who both share a passion for beer. Pride Night hits home for both of them because they have been together for 17 years, and just celebrated six years of marriage.
Before opening Alementary, Crawford was a chemical engineer and Roosevelt had a PhD in molecular biology. Crawford is from Arkansas, while Roosevelt grew up in Miami, Florida.
Crawford and Roosevelt both shared an entrepreneurial desire and after taking many trips up to Stowe, Vermont to ski, they realized that the desire could be accomplished.
“We would take trips up north and thought why do we have to come all this way to grab a good beer,” Crawford said. “We wanted to build something for us and moving up here to open Alementary was that dream.”
Crawford and Roosevelt are both excited that their business is associated with New York Red Bulls II and the USL Championship as well.
“We are really excited for Pride Night on Wednesday,” Crawford said. “For young LGBTQ+ athletes, sports have not always been kind to them, and we are proud to be partners with organizations that help with that.”
Alongside them, Ryan Arthur, Alementary’s Director of Sales, has been a big part of the project, especially their partnership with the club.
“My family has always had a passion for sports, especially soccer,” Arthur said. “We joined the NYRB II family in 2019, and it was the right opportunity at the right time.”
With the opportunity to be the presenting partner for Pride Night, it was an easy decision for the Alementary family, because the subject hits home to them.
Alementary has worked with LGBTQ+ bars in Jersey City since their inception and looks to be part of larger events especially in June.
“This is an important issue that hits home to all of us here,” Arthur said. “We accept everyone at our brewery, and everyone is welcome at Alementary.”
Their current campaign is that “every beer is a pride beer”, they are focusing on more inclusivity in the craft beer industry.
“We are very excited to be a part of the event,” Arthur said. “United Soccer League has been heavily involved in these initiatives and it is honestly great to see major sports thinking about these topics.”
New York Red Bulls II will host Pride Night presented by Alementary on Wednesday, June 2, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET. To learn more about the presenting partner, Alementary, please click here.
