Thanks to the support of the City of Hartford, State of Connecticut, fans, and partners, Hartford Athletic continued to deliver on its mission to make the community the best place to live, work, and play in 2024. The club continues to expand on an already robust lineup of impactful community programming with a number of exciting new activations.
Green and Blue Foundation
Hartford Athletic’s Green & Blue Foundation 501c3, which strives to enhance the quality of life for youth and disadvantaged people in Connecticut, focuses on making a difference for communities in need in support of five key Community Pillars: Health and Wellness, Diversity and Inclusion, Youth and Family Education, Economic Development, and Veterans and First Responder support. Here are this year’s highlights:
Community Ticket Program
The Hartford Athletic Community Ticket Program presented by Travelers and Liberty Bank provides tickets through the Green & Blue Foundation to those who might not otherwise be able to attend a match. Thanks to the generosity of Travelers and Liberty Bank, over 8,000 tickets were donated to more than 20 different programs, including Vet Tix, the Boys and Girls Club, Hartford Public Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and more.
Summer Reading
As part of the Summer Reading Challenge, Hartford Public Schools and the Hartford Public Library partnered with the Green & Blue Foundation for “Sundays at the Stadium.” Families were invited to read on the field at Trinity Health Stadium on Sundays during the summer. Students also participated in on-field soccer and ultimate frisbee clinics, and received free pizza and a Hartford Athletic soccer ball.
Camp Day
Hartford Athletic and the Green & Blue Foundation hosted their third annual Camp Day this past July. Over 500 kids from a record nine camps gathered at Trinity Health Stadium for an exciting afternoon filled with soccer and interactive field games.
Due to inclement weather, South Windsor Parks and Recreation’s were unable to attend Camp Day. To make up for the missed outing, Hartford Athletic players Greg Monroe and Emmanuel Samadia visited their “Camp Discovery” a month later to bring the Camp Day experience directly to them, connecting with campers and sharing the joy of soccer.
Hartford Athletic Academy
The Green and Blue Foundation proudly supported Hartford Athletic’s academy as it grew to include 15 boys teams and 3 girls teams in 2024, seeing over 100% year-on-year growth. In line with its new “Soccer for All” motto, the Foundation provided financial assistance to 16% of academy players, ensuring more young athletes had the opportunity to develop their skills and pursue their soccer dreams.
Corporate Partnerships
The Club continued to expand on its strong corporate support with 68 corporate partners, including Founding Partners Trinity Health of New England, Liberty Bank, Stanley Black & Decker, The Hartford, and Travelers. Key community elements are part of all corporate partnerships, with this year’s highlights below:
Community Health Night Presented by Trinity Health Of New England
On Saturday, June 1st Hartford Athletic hosted the sixth annual Community Health Night presented by Trinity Health Of New England. Hartford Athletic would like to thank all of the many divisions of Sports Medicine, Primary Care, Behavioral Health, and more who came out to table at the event. Community Health Alley was packed all game with fans engaging with the Trinity groups!
Stroke Awareness Night Presented by Trinity Health of New England
Hartford Athletic hosted its third annual Stroke Awareness Night on August 24th, welcoming Trinity Health of New England’s Stroke team to the stadium to table and educate fans on how to identify signs and symptoms of a stroke. In addition, Hartford Athletic recognized seven stroke survivors and their families prior to the match, welcoming them onto the pitch just before kickoff. Hartford Athletic is proud to partner with Trinity Health of New England to educate the Hartford community, providing fans with valuable resources to help them live healthier and safer lives.
Grow The Trades Night Presented By Stanley Black & Decker July 26th
Hartford Athletic hosted its second annual Grow the Trades Night on July 26th presented by Stanley Black & Decker, collaborating with trade organizations from throughout the state to educate fans on various trade careers through interactive displays and demonstrations throughout the concourse. Representatives from Makerspace CT delivered the official match ball during pregame warmups, and Stanley Black & Decker gave away a full DeWALT toolkit to a lucky fan! Hartford Athletic is dedicated to supporting workforce development and showcasing the vital contributions of trade professionals to our community.
Junior Fire Marshal Program Presented by The Hartford
The Hartford and Hartford Athletic teamed up for the sixth consecutive year to help educate young fans through the Junior Fire Marshal Program, which makes life-saving lessons about fire safety fun and engaging for kids and families. Throughout the season, one lucky young fan at every home game was also chosen to participate in The Hartford’s Junior Fire Marshal Halftime Challenge.
On June 24th, the sixth annual Junior Fire Marshal Night was hosted at Trinity Health Stadium. The first 1,000 children in attendance received a free Junior Fire Marshal Helmet. Prior to the game, a select group of children joined members of the Hartford Fire Department on-field to take the fire-safety pledge and become deputized as official Junior Fire Marshals.
Match for a Cause Presented by Liberty Bank
Hartford Athletic and Liberty Bank collaborated for the second time on Match for a Cause, marking the sixth edition of the annual initiative. Each year, a local charity is chosen to be the beneficiary of an auction featuring special autographed game-worn jerseys from the Match for a Cause. This year’s donations benefited Our Piece of the Pie (OPP), a non-profit organization that is dedicated to empowering youth in Hartford. Our players sported uniquely designed black and orange uniforms that matched OPP’s branding to add to the special night. The online auction, along with Liberty Bank’s donation, raised over $23,000 for OPP, the most in the six-year history of Match for a Cause.
Our Piece of the Pie was founded in 1975, and has been providing personalized, comprehensive support to help youth in Hartford succeed in education and employment ever since. OPP works with youth ages 14-24, offering services in personal development, academic achievement, and workforce readiness. Through initiatives like mentoring, job training, and alternative education, OPP helps young people overcome barriers and build brighter futures. Each youth is paired with a specialist to create an individualized plan for long-term success.
Hartford Athletic would like to extend its gratitude to both OPP and Liberty Bank for all of their work to help make this year’s Match for a Cause so successful.
Goals for Meals Campaign
For the fourth year in a row, Hartford Athletic teamed up with Nuovo Pasta to participate in the Goals for Meals program. For every Hartford Athletic goal scored throughout the season, our partner company made meal donations to help fight against food insecurity in the Hartford Community. This year, over 1,000 meals were donated.
Gengras Motors Food and Coat Drives
Gengras Motor Cars hosted two donation drives at Trinity Health Stadium this season. Gengras hosted a food drive at the match on August 17th, and a coat drive at the season finale on October 12th. All food was donated to Friendly Hands Food Bank in Torrington, and the coats were donated to Button Up Connecticut in New Britain. Thank you to Gengras and all our fans for supporting these amazing drives.
Safe Driving Night Presented by Connecticut Department of Transportation
While promoting safe driving during the month of June, this night was supported by CT Department of Transportation, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving M.A.D.D., sharing their very important message. Hartford Police Department and Corona Auto Body of Hartford provided a wrecked vehicle so fans could see first-hand the results of distracted and drunk driving.
USJ Cleanup Day
Hartford Athletic is proud to work with the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) and the City of Hartford to clean the streets in the area surrounding our stadium and within Colt Park. 35 volunteers from both organizations, including the entire USJ men’s basketball team, stepped up and spent the morning of Sunday, November 3rd helping make Hartford public spaces cleaner and more accessible for everyone.
Community
Hartford Athletic reinforced its commitment to establishing Trinity Health Stadium as a versatile community hub in 2024, hosting an increasingly diverse lineup of events. This year saw the exciting debut of ultimate frisbee at the venue, as the New York Empire brought their high-energy matches to Hartford. The Empire faced off against the Salt Lake Shred on June 29th and the DC Breeze on July 20th, showcasing this dynamic sport to enthusiastic crowds and expanding the stadium’s role as a home for more than soccer.
Trinity Health Stadium hosted high school sporting events again in 2024, continuing to host the CIAC Boys and Girls Soccer State Championships after a successful slate of events in 2023. This year’s eight championship matches took place on November 16th and 17th, with four matches played on each day. In addition, Trinity Health Stadium hosted soccer senior nights throughout the fall, and served as the home field for the Sport and Medical Science Academy (SMSA).
Hartford Athletic and Trinity Health Stadium also welcomed a variety of impactful local nonprofit and fundraising events, including Dogstar Rescue’s annual Bark n’ Brewfest, the Aurora Foundation’s 100 Men Campaign, and the Arthritis Foundation’s Walk to Cure Arthritis, all of which returned for the second consecutive year.
In conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Labor, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, Eversource, Global Atlantic Financial Group, Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Stanley Black & Decker, USA Waste & Recycling, and Right at Home, Hartford Athletic hosted its fourth annual Hiring Expo at Trinity Health Stadium on September 18th. In 2023, we were able to connect over 900 job-seekers with potential employers. This year, we were thrilled to see the Hiring Expo grow yet again, as 80 employers and over 1,000 potential job seekers filled the stadium. In addition, Connecticut Department of Labor Deputy Commissioner Mark Polzella, Governor Ned Lamont, Hartford Athletic Chairman Bruce Mandell, and state and local officials spoke at the event.
The club hosted its third annual STEM & Soccer Education Day on May 21st at Trinity Health Stadium. A record 3,500 students participated in the day, showcasing 22 unique projects from 20 different schools throughout the concourse of Trinity Health Stadium, alongside 10 Hartford Athletic corporate partners displays and six from community organizations. To ensure that all schools could attend, the Green and Blue Foundation, with support from M&T Bank, provided funding for 30% of all attendees. After the showcase concluded, students enjoyed an exhibition match between Hartford Athletic and the Long Island Rough Riders. Thank you to all of the schools for coming up with truly inspiring and groundbreaking projects.
Thank you to our partners Central Connecticut State University, CGI, Chesla, CT Department of Transportation, Eversource, Global Atlantic Financial Group, Hanwha Aerospace, Stanley Black & Decker, and Travelers for their support of our STEM and Soccer Education program. We look forward to expanding the program even more next season. To see how you can be involved in STEM Day 2025, click here.
Hartford Athletic proudly supported the Hartford community this year with over 250 donations to a wide range of causes. These contributions played an impactful role in raffles, auctions, and fundraisers benefiting youth athletic programs, schools, veterans, charities serving underserved communities, DEI initiatives, and more.
This Thanksgiving, Hartford Athletic players Joe Farrell and Justin DiCarlo took action to support those in need by donating turkeys, nonperishables, and household essentials to The Open Hearth. This organization is dedicated to helping men overcome homelessness and addiction, offering them a path to rebuild their lives.
The club’s mascot Dillon built on a successful debut year with even more impact and exposure in 2024. Dillon attended 150+ local festivals, soccer clinics, fundraisers, career fairs, elementary schools, hospitals, nonprofit events, sporting events, and more, entertaining thousands of kids and adults along the way.
Hartford Athletic remains committed to making a lasting impact in our community through the power of soccer. As we close out a successful year of initiatives and partnerships, we’re excited to build on this momentum in 2025. Stay tuned for more news and updates on how we’ll continue to support and engage with the Hartford community in the year ahead.
