FOXBOROUGH, Mass. and MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Friday, April 22, 2011) – The New England Revolution and UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, are partnering to raise awareness about the benefits of healthy living and prevent chronic diseases, especially childhood obesity and diabetes. In addition, the UnitedHealthcare logo will be placed on the front of the team’s jerseys.
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The partnership will provide community leadership in healthy living education through in-stadium activities, public service announcements, community soccer clinics, and youth instructional programs aimed at getting more children active and making healthy lifestyle choices.
“With so many young people playing soccer in America, this new partnership serves as a great opportunity to reach more children in our fight against childhood diabetes and obesity,” said Michael Matteo, chief executive officer, UnitedHealthcare National Accounts. “The Revolution players embody wellness and fitness and we look forward to working with them to get kids moving and to further our mission of helping people live healthier lives.”
In one of the partnership’s first efforts to fight childhood diabetes and obesity, the Revolution players will help educate local children about the importance of healthy living and exercise at inner-city soccer clinics staged through UnitedHealthcare’s “JOIN” model, which is completing a successful pilot program with the YMCA in Rhode Island.
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“There is no more significant brand placement in sports than across the chest of an athlete and we’re proud that UnitedHealthcare has chosen to partner with the Revolution in this way,” New England Revolution Investor/Operator Jonathan A. Kraft said. “We believe UnitedHealthcare’s innovative approach to promoting youth fitness and wellness, coupled with the platform of our team and Major League Soccer’s national footprint, will make a significant, positive impact in New England and across the country. Raising awareness - especially among children - of the importance of living a healthy life starting at a young age is imperative, and we’re pleased to be part of UnitedHealthcare’s efforts.”
UnitedHealthcare is a national leader in the fight against diabetes and obesity, recently launching the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance, a partnership designed to fight diabetes, prediabetes and obesity in America.
The Revolution, through its philanthropic arm, the New England Revolution Charitable Foundation, aims to promote health and wellness through a variety of outreach activities, including original programming, player appearances, grant awards and in-kind donations.
The Revolution will debut their game jerseys displaying the UnitedHealthcare logo on Saturday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. EDT, in the team’s match against Sporting Kansas City at Gillette Stadium. The game will be televised throughout New England on Comcast SportsNet.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of approximately 25 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 650,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.
About the New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is the Northeast region’s premier professional soccer team. Operated by the Kraft Family, which also owns the New England Patriots, the Revolution is based at the state-of-the-art Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. A founding member of the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer in 1996, the Revolution has played for the MLS Cup four times in the last decade – including three straight from 2005 to 2007 – while advancing to the Eastern Conference Championship game in six straight years (2002-07), an MLS record. The Revolution also won the 2007 U.S. Open Cup and the 2008 SuperLiga titles. The Revolution roster features a mix of U.S. stars, highlighted by 2009 MLS MVP finalist Shalrie Joseph, record-setting goalkeeper Matt Reis and 2010 team MVP Marko Perovic. The Revs' roster also includes players from all over the world, including Argentina, Denmark, France, Gambia, Grenada, Nigeria, Serbia and Zimbabwe. For more information, visit www.revolutionsoccer.net.
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