With the mission of promoting community, hope and respect while inspiring young people, Racing Louisville FC and the nonprofit Muhammad Ali Center have partnered to put on Ali Day for Racing’s June 15 match against NJ/NY Gotham FC at Lynn Family Stadium.
The outing will celebrate the life and legacy of Louisville native, humanitarian and world champion boxer Muhammad Ali in the anniversary month of his passing eight years ago. It will highlight The Greatest’s lifelong dedication to advocacy and giving and the importance of world-class athletes using their platforms to speak up for just causes.
The main event of Ali Day will be the 12 p.m. kickoff between Racing and Gotham, the reigning NWSL champions featuring U.S. Women’s National Team star Rose Lavelle.
The Ali Center’s leadership and staff, along with partner organizations, will attend the game to celebrate the Center’s annual Ali Festival, which runs June 1-9. Racing players are scheduled to visit the Ali Center as part of the celebration week, too.
As part of the partnership, Soccer Holdings staffers participated in “The Greatest Give Back,” the day of service put on by the Ali Center and Metro United Way.
Following the match, fans are encouraged to stick around visit the Louisville Juneteenth Festival located in the stadium’s Purple Lot.
Racing, the first-ever professional women’s sports team in the Louisville region, is in its fourth year of existence. The team’s first uniforms were designed with Ali in mind – the midnight violet home jersey was speckled with butterflies and bees, an ode to the Louisville native known for not only his great boxing feats but for the social change he fostered.
The club’s parent company, Soccer Holdings LLC, also owns Louisville City FC, the men’s USL Championship club that started play in 2015.
The Muhammad Ali Center, a 501(c)3 corporation, was co-founded by Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie in their hometown of Louisville. The international cultural center promotes the Six Core Principles of Muhammad Ali (Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality) in ways that inspire personal and global greatness and provide programming and events around the focus areas of education, racial and gender equity, and global citizenship.
The Ali Center is formally associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications, and is one of the newest stops on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. The Center’s headquarters also contains an award-winning museum experience. For more information, please visit AliCenter.org.
