TOKYO — Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (YRC) will support construction of a covered, lighted soccer field and facility in New York City's Harlem district, a project that expands the firm's corporate social responsibility efforts and enhances its partnership with English Premiere League soccer team Chelsea FC, which it has sponsored since 2015.
According to YRC, the construction project supports FC Harlem, a soccer program that not only teaches young, disadvantaged athletes growing up throughout the Harlem area how to play the game of soccer, but also works to build the students' leadership skills and confidence.
Chelsea is the official partner of the youth club, providing support in several of areas, including the conducting of training camps.
The field project is in the design phase, YRC said, and the completion date for the facility has not been set.
YRC became the official jersey sponsor of Chelsea FC in 2015 and this year extended that partnership to include the Alliance Tyres brand logo on the team's shirt sleeve. Yokohama acquired Alliance Tire Group (ATG), which specializes in off-highway tires, in July 2016.