Beyond Sport Unveils Philly Legacy Project

Beyond Sport, the global sports and social change organisation staging its annual Summit and Awards in Philadelphia this week, has unveiled its first lasting legacy in the city, with Mayor Michael A. Nutter unveiling a state-of-the-art basketball court funded and built by the organisation and its partners.

Residents of the neighbourhood around the Heritage Recreation Center will benefit from the facility, funded by a generous donation from ESPN to the Beyond Sport Foundation. Beyond Sport has worked in partnership with Connor Sport Court International, SportProsUSA, and the Parks/Rec Department on the build.

Alongside the Mayor and those stakeholders, the launch was also attended by the projects shortlisted for the Barclays Philadelphia Impact Award, which will reward outstanding local programmes at next week’s Summit. 

Nick Keller, the Founder of Beyond Sport, commented: ‘In the run up to the Summit, Philadelphia has not only proven to be one of the most passionate sports cities in the world, but has also shown tremendous strength in community advocacy and citizenship.  

‘Through this project we can showcase these qualities, and leave something for the city that demonstrates not only the unique power of sport, but the power of partnerships, to trigger positive social change. We are looking forward to it being used as a place where people in the surrounding community can come together, feel safe, and be active.’

Mayor Nutter added: ‘It is my honour and pleasure to unveil this safe, sustainable, high-performance court that will tremendously benefit this neighborhood.  Philadelphia is one of the most passionate sporting cities in the world – and we are as proud of our neighborhoods as we are of the teams we hold so close to our hearts.’

Kevin Martinez, vice president of corporate outreach at ESPN, concluded: ‘As media sponsor of the Beyond Sport Summit, ESPN is proud to fund a project that will leave a legacy in the Philadelphia community by providing a lasting and accessible place for sports. ESPN has been showcasing passion on the field of play for three decades, but sport can do much more in the wider community. We are excited to take this vision to a new level through inspirational Beyond Sport stories and projects, such as this revitalised court.’

The Beyond Sport Summit and Awards 2013 will bring together all of Philadelphia’s major league sports teams – the 76ers, Eagles, Flyers, Phillies and Union – along with the NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, MLS, NASCAR and WNBA, and a host of global sporting organisations, brands and businesses, all gathering in Philadelphia to explore the role of sports in social change. 

The likes of Eagles legend Brian Dawkins, NBA Global Ambassador Dikembe Mutombo, NBA Commissioner David Stern, Senator George Mitchell, Philadelphia 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil, Eagles president Don Smolenski, Special Olympics CEO Tim Shriver, former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter and WWE’s John Layfield all feature on the Summit’s speaker list.

Beyond Sport’s global partners are Barclays, TIME, Unicef and ESPN.