The Californer - Long Beach: City Invites Community to Celebrate Global Soccer Tournament with Matches in the Park

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Long Beach, CA ~ Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach is gearing up for a summer filled with soccer festivities as part of its Soccer in the LBC campaign. As part of this effort, the city will be hosting Matches in the Park, a series of local soccer activations and match viewings at various parks throughout Long Beach.

These events will take place during the knockout stage of the global soccer tournament and offer residents across the city opportunities to gather, connect, and celebrate soccer in a relaxed and family-friendly environment. Mayor Rex Richardson expressed his excitement for these events, stating that they provide an opportunity for residents in every neighborhood to come together and experience the thrill of the global game.

The full schedule for Matches in the Park is listed below. As participating national teams progress in the tournament, the City will announce which games will be shown at each location:

- Monday, July 6 at 5 p.m. – El Dorado Park West (2800 N. Studebaker Rd.)

- Thursday, July 9 at 1 p.m. – Martin Luther King Jr. Park (1950 Lemon Ave.)

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- Friday, July 10 at noon – Admiral Kidd Park (2125 Santa Fe Ave.)

- Saturday, July 11 at 6 p.m. – Heartwell Park (5801 Parkcrest St.)

- Tuesday, July 14 at noon – Recreation Park (4900 E. 7th St.)

- Wednesday, July 15 at noon – Scherer Park (4600 Long Beach Blvd.)

- Saturday, July 18 at 2 p.m. - Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave.)

Each activation will feature a community watch party with a live big-screen match viewing and group activities for youth hosted by the City's Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM). Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite soccer team's attire and bring blankets, chairs, and picnic meals.

In addition to the live match viewings, attendees can also participate in soccer-themed augmented reality missions and challenges through the Agents of Discovery app. This free educational mobile gaming platform aims to teach players about soccer fundamentals, history, and international championship trivia while promoting outdoor exploration and interaction with others. The app is available for download in the Apple App Store or Google Play.

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Matches in the Park are just one part of the City's broader Soccer in the LBC efforts, which include locally driven activations and community-focused soccer programming throughout Long Beach. These efforts kicked off on June 11 with the LA Galaxy Soccer Celebration, a partnership between the City, Major League Soccer's LA Galaxy, and Downtown Long Beach Alliance. This celebration features live FIFA World Cup 26™ match viewings, appearances by Galaxy players and alumni, youth soccer clinics, family-friendly fan areas, giveaways, limited-edition merchandise offerings, sponsor activations, and more along Pine Avenue in Downtown Long Beach until June 27.

The City's extensive local soccer programming will culminate on Sunday, July 19 with an open streets event to celebrate the final match of the global tournament at Bixby Park. Hosted by the City and presented by Metro with sponsorship from Port of Long Beach, this one-day event will open streets in multiple neighborhoods across Long Beach for people to bike, walk and explore safely. More information about this event will be announced in the coming weeks.

Together, these events aim to bring the excitement of the global game to communities in every Council District in Long Beach. For more information about Soccer in the LBC events and programming, visit longbeach.gov/SoccerInTheLBC.

Filed Under: Government, City

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