Allstate Insurance Company today announced the launch of its first-ever Allstate All-America Soccer platform to recognize the country's rising high school soccer stars as part of its ongoing commitment to the soccer community and offering superior protection to fans where they live, work and play.
In collaboration with MaxPreps, America's source for high school sports, Allstate will identify the nation's top high school soccer players in their junior year and award the "Allstate All-American" title to an elite group of 125 male and 125 female players. From the total 250 high school players, 40 males and 40 females will then be selected for the unique opportunity to compete in the inaugural Allstate All-America Cup that that will take place in summer 2019 in the city that hosts the Major League Soccer All-Star Game presented by Target.
"For more than a decade, Allstate has taken great pride in its commitment to the soccer community, always with the goal of providing superior protection to the fans and the sport they love," said Pam Hollander, Allstate's Vice President of Consumer Marketing. "The Allstate All-America program was designed to shine a spotlight on the student-athletes who represent the best of more than 800,000 high school soccer players in America. It extends Allstate's commitment to soccer in the U.S. that started when we became the Official Insurance Partner of Major League Soccer in 2011."
Four celebrity head coaches will be named to lead the 80 Allstate All-American Roster Selections who will be divided across two male teams and two female teams. The matches will be televised on ESPNU during 2019 MLS All-Star Week. Additionally, the Allstate All-American Roster Selections will be honored on the field during halftime of the 2019 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target.
Throughout the year, Allstate will celebrate the Allstate All-Americans with a comprehensive content campaign fueled with powerful stories about the selected players, original content from celebrity coaches and social coverage of MLS All-Star Week activities.
"Allstate's commitment to the sport of soccer is exemplified through the design of the Allstate All-America Soccer platform, and we are honored that they selected MLS All-Star week as the host market," said Jennifer Cramer, Major League Soccer's Group Vice President of Partnership Marketing. "Allstate continues to expand their grassroots extensions on the national and local level, and we are looking forward to seeing this platform come to life in 2019."
The Allstate All-Americans will be announced in multiple phases during the high school soccer season, including one major announcement in the fall of 2018 and the other in spring of 2019. The final selection will include at least one player from each of the 50 states.
Furthermore, as a continuation of Allstate's long-term commitment to youth soccer initiatives, the brand signed on as the title sponsor of Alianza de Futbol's "Sueño Alianza" program. Alianza de Futbol is the leading national organization dedicated to the support and development of amateur Hispanic soccer in the United States and Allstate Sueño Alianza provides an opportunity for young Latino soccer players across the country to be scouted by professional clubs for a shot at soccer stardom. Jonathan Gonzalez, who was found by his current club, Monterrey, at the 2013 Allstate Sueño Alianza National Showcase, will serve as the spokesman for the program.
About ESPNESPN, the world's leading sports entertainment company, features more than 50 assets—eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.About MaxPrepsMaxPreps.com, a CBS Sports Digital property, is America's most popular media company devoted exclusively to the coverage of high school sports. MaxPreps publishes comprehensive sports information in collaboration with over 100,000 varsity coaches. MaxPreps team rankings are referenced by media, and used by numerous states to help seed their play-offs. MaxPreps experts provide sports insights, and inspirational stories that reinforce the positive outcomes obtained from participation in high school sports. Founded in 2002 MaxPreps is headquartered in El Dorado Hills, CA.