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Over 80 Sports Teams from All Major US Sports Leagues and around the World to Gather at beyond Sport United

United, StubHub and Heidrick & Struggles are proud to announce they will be Presenting Partners of the event with SPORTS ILLUSTRATED confirmed as the Official Media Partner.

Beyond Sport United, a global initiative that promotes, develops and funds the use of sport to create positive social change across the world, has gathered these organizations - marking a first in sport history - to discuss the power and influence of sport in the community. The Founding Supporters include Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Basketball Association (NBA); the National Football League (NFL); the National Hockey League (NHL); and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Senior representatives from teams committed to attend from across the country include New York Yankees, New York Mets, New York Giants, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs, Cincinnati Reds, Green Bay Packers, LA Galaxy, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the San Francisco 49ers just to name a few. They will join their counterparts from around the world, including English Premier League teams Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur; the Australian Football League; Premiership Rugby; Nairobi City Stars; and Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Also attending are top-level executives of businesses from around the world including Canterbury of New Zealand, AEG, Standard Chartered Bank, Sony, Sagitta Group of South Africa, and Populous.

The event will see a range of experts provide insight into how community engagement can trigger a social and economic return on investment, including the Keynote Speaker Michael Porter, Director of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School, who made waves at the World Economic Forum earlier this year for his theories around healthcare and 'Shared Value'.

Commented the Founder of Beyond Sport, Nick Keller: "We believe that sports teams, with their heroic brands with historic resonance, sit at the very heart of communities and as such have a significant role to play in triggering positive social change. The opportunity is vast and, with the substantial support of the major US sports leagues, it is our hope that Beyond Sport United will provide the platform where sports teams can come together for the first time to focus on how they can better impact the communities they serve."

For more information on Beyond Sport, log on to www.beyondsport.org.

For further information contact:

Alexandra Chalat
Head of Social Innovation
Beyond Sport
Tel: +44 (0)207 240 7700
Email: Alex@beyondsport.org

Notes for Editors:

Beyond Sport is a global organization that promotes, develops and funds the use of sport to create positive social change across the world.

We do this primarily in three ways...

Beyond Sport Awards

The Beyond Sport Awards programme provides support worth $1.5 million annually to projects across the world that use sport to address issues within their communities. The Beyond Sport Awards 2011 closed for entries on May 1. Visit www.beyondsport.org to view the entered projects.

Beyond Sport Summit

The Summit is an annual event that brings together the best sport-led social innovators with influential, global leaders to address sport's role in driving positive social change. The Beyond Sport Summit 2011 will take place in Cape Town, South Africa from December 5-8.

Beyond Sport World

Beyond Sport World is an online networking platform that allows any organization across the globe involved in sport and development to promote their activities and connect. Visit www.beyondsportworld.org.

For Beyond Sport United
Jody Sowa, +1 917-691-0952
Jody.Sowa@mcsaatchi.com
or
Jonathan Schecter, +1 646-592-3437
Jonathan.Schecter@mcsaatchi.com