IRVINE, Calif. (JANUARY 27, 2020) – Orange County SC announced today the launch of the OCSC Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The new foundation will serve the greater Orange County area as the Charitable arm of the Orange County Soccer Club. The foundation will be headed by, OCSC Community Relations and Event Manager, Haley Stadnikia and will use soccer as a vehicle to promote health and wellness, support and empower our youth, foster an inclusive environment, and unify our local community.

“After many months of preparation, we are extremely excited and proud to launch the OCSC Community Foundation”, said Jeff Garner, President of Business Operations “As a professional sports organization, it is our responsibility to support our local community and we believe that the four pillars coupled with Haley’s leadership and our organizational commitment gives us the ingredients to be successful community partners.”

Stadnikia, a Michigan native and San Jose State Master’s graduate in Kinesiology, joins OCSC from Major League Soccer where she spent the past 2-years working in the Community Relations department of the San Jose Earthquakes. In her time with the Quakes, her focus was to help grow the Quakes Community Foundation. 

In her role with the OCSC Community Foundation, Stadnikia will work with the soccer club and local charitable organizations to share and promote the foundation’s four pillars with the Orange County community. The four pillars of the OCSC Community Foundation are; Health and Wellness, Youth Leadership, Advancing Social Change, and Community Impact, these pillars will drive all OCSC Community Foundation events and initiatives and will guide the direction of the Orange County Soccer Club with regards to community relations.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to not only be here in Orange County, but to jump start and lead this foundation,” said OCSC community relations and event manager, Haley Stadnikia. “I can’t wait to get to know our fan base, find the needs within our community, and see where we can make the greatest impact.”

The OCSC Community Foundation will kick off its service to the Orange County community on Monday, January 27th, when OCSC players and staff will spend the afternoon volunteering at the distribution center of Second Harvest Food Bank located near the Great Park and OSCS’s home stadium. 

For more information on the foundation and OCSC Community Foundation events please visit http://www.orangecountysoccer.com/community. All questions about the foundation and events can be directed to the OCSC community relations staff at haley@orangecountysoccer.com

ABOUT THE OCSC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: 

The OCSC Community Foundation is the official charitable arm of the Orange County Soccer Club, a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2020 to serve the greater Orange County community. Its mission: To use soccer as a vehicle to promote health and wellness, support and empower our youth, foster an inclusive environment, and unify our local community.

ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SOCCER CLUB:

Orange County Soccer Club is Orange County’s only professional soccer team that is part of the United Soccer League (USL), the fastest-growing Division II professional soccer league in the world.  The USL is comprised of 36 teams across the United States. The team plays its home games at the Orange County Great Park’s Championship Soccer Stadium, located in Irvine, CA. Nestled in the heart of the Great Park, Championship Soccer Stadium has a capacity of over 5,000 for Orange County SC matches. Orange County SC was one of 12 founding members of the USL during its inaugural 2011 season. The preceding club, Orange County Blues, won the 2015 Western Conference Regular Season Championship and reached the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the USL Playoffs in back-to-back seasons.  Team owner and Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, James Keston, purchased and re-branded the team in 2017. Keston, who actively oversees all operations of the team, is dedicated to providing a pathway to professional soccer and a world-class soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players and youth clubs of Orange County. 

In December 2019, Orange County SC entered into a strategic partnership with Rangers FC from the Scottish Premier League.

For more information about Orange County Soccer Club, and to experience professional soccer in the OC, visit: http://www.orangecountysoccer.com.  For more information about the United Soccer League, visit: http://www.uslsoccer.com.