HARRISON, N.J., April 9, 2019 – The New York Red Bulls, in partnership with Prudential Financial, Inc., have signed 12 athletes from Special Olympics New Jersey to the Red Bulls Unified Team as part of the MLS Works Unified Exchange program. Prudential Financial is the proud presenting partner of the Red Bulls Special Olympics Unified Team.
- ROSTER: Unified Team
The Red Bulls Unified team schedule expands to four matches this season, with matches at Red Bull Arena on May 4, July 14, and September 22, alongside First Team matches. The Unified team will also travel to Kansas City with the Red Bulls matchings against Sporting Kansas City and the SKC Unified team.
Red Bulls Sporting Director Denis Hamlett hosted the Unified team at Red Bull Arena to sign contracts, tour the building and receive uniforms.
“We are very pleased to continue our relationship with Special Olympics New Jersey,” said Hamlett. “We are honored to have these 12 players represent our club. I know they will make us proud here at Red Bull Arena, and we are excited to have them along with us for the road trip to Kansas City.”
- TICKETS: See the Unified Team play!
“A source of joy for many of us is playing and experiencing sports. This program is so special because it impacts people of all backgrounds, and is a wonderful expression of inclusion and inspiration,” said Niharika Shah, vice president and head of Brand Marketing, Advertising and Global Insights, Prudential Financial, Inc. “We had the privilege of spending time with the Unified Team and these talented athletes are the true meaning of commitment and community.”
2019 marks the sixth season for the Red Bulls Unified team. The New York Red Bulls are one of several MLS teams to partner with their local Special Olympics chapters to create teams and host matches in their stadiums.
Untitled Story by New York Red Bulls on Exposure
About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with more than $1 trillion of assets under management as of December 31, 2018, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.
About Special Olympics New Jersey
Special Olympics New Jersey provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in 24 Olympic-type sports for more than 25,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, completely free of charge, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Visit www.sonj.org for more information.
About the MLS Unified Exchange Program
Leveraging the power of sport, MLS, ESPN and Special Olympics have partnered to promote an environment of social inclusion through Unified Sports. Through the Unified Exchange program, Unified soccer teams to participate in a First Team MLS experience. Unified matches are scheduled in conjunction with MLS club matches, giving fans an opportunity to witness the Unified teams first-hand. It provides athletes and Unified partners top-level training, competition and life experiences.
