Following the success of its LGBT theme night last year, the Philadelphia Soul arena-football team has rebranded the event in an attempt to reach even more people and have a greater impact on the LGBT and sports communities alike.
Philadelphia Soul has teamed up with You Can Play Philadelphia — an organization dedicated to ensuring safety and inclusion for LGBT athletes, coaches and fans — for the first-ever You Can Play Night at the Philadelphia Soul game, presented by Independence Blue Cross, 7:30 p.m. June 26 at Wells Fargo Center, 3601 S Broad St.
Individual tickets are $27 and include a Philadelphia Soul T-shirt. Business and group tickets include VIP extras like in-game and event website recognition, tabling opportunities, meet-and-greet passes and more.
All individual and group tickets include a donation to You Can Play.
“Last year, it was strictly an LGBT night,” said Corrine Kolesinskas, manager of group sales for Philadelphia Soul. “But as a sports team, it made sense to partner with You Can Play — which focuses on athletes, coaches and fans. I think our missions really align and we can both raise even more awareness together.”
Kolesinskas said the Soul is a great team this year — with a 9-1 record so far — and credits the players’ mutual respect as a factor of its success.
“We are one of the best teams in the league because of our cohesion and the way the players respect one another,” said Kolesinskas. “If we discriminated against anyone, we wouldn’t be where we are. That’s why we are proud to partner with You Can Play to promote inclusion.”
Anna Aagenes, vice president of programming and community relations for YCP, echoed Kolesinskas’ belief that together the two organizations could have a greater impact than by themselves.
“This is a great fit. Now, not only are people showing their support for inclusion, but they are actively contributing to an organization whose mission is to raise awareness and promote inclusion,” Aagenes said.
She added that the event also provides the opportunity to help educate and create better allies.
“We invest a lot of time educating allies throughout the sports world,” Aagenes said. “Many teams, including the Philadelphia Soul, make their own ‘You Can Play’ videos. We love this because it helps spread the message that, out or not, you can always be an ally to others.”
To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.philadelphiasoul.com.