D.C. United, Southwest residents forge Community Benefits Agreement
Southwest Soccer Stadium Community Benefits Agreement lays foundation for lasting relationship
D.C. United and the Near SE/SW Community Benefits Coordinating Council (CBCC) have announced the completion of the Southwest Soccer Stadium Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), which will lay the foundation for a lasting relationship between the team and the residents of the community that will be the home of the team’s new stadium.
“We have engaged, listened and worked directly with the community in which we are planning for our new stadium,” said D.C. United Managing General Partner Jason Levien. “D.C. United has been steadfastly committed to the District since its inception, and this agreement builds on that legacy. Both the team and the Southwest neighborhood are poised to flourish with this long-term agreement in place.”
“CBCC is pleased about this agreement and resulting partnership with D.C. United for the residents of ANC6D,” said CBCC Coordinator Felicia Couts. “This CBA is an example of community benefits done the right way, with a focus on the needs of our community, and an enforcement component to ensure its provisions are carried out over the long-term.”
CBCC Vice Chair Eve Brooks added, “We are looking forward to our continued work with the team, which has already demonstrated its commitment to the ANC6D community.”
The CBA builds on the strengths of the current programming that is already a part of D.C. United’s work in the community throughout the District, including the Ward 6 neighborhood where the stadium will be built. D.C. United will continue to bring soccer into the community through its successful United Soccer Club location at Amidon-Bowen Elementary as well as through scholarships for D.C. United summer camps for youth who reside in Southwest and the identification of potentially qualified players from the area for D.C. United Academy programs.
Among other CBA provisions, D.C. United will connect the new stadium with the Southwest community by making the facility and meeting rooms available for community use, participating in a summer job program, engaging in local outreach for employment, and striving to build small business and not-for-profit opportunities over the course of the agreement.
D.C. United and the CBCC have committed to meet regularly to ensure that the provisions of the CBA are executed and to continue strengthening the relationship between the community and the team.
About D.C. United
D.C. United is the most successful professional soccer organization in the history of the United States. United is four-time MLS Cup Champions (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2004) and winners of the 1996, 2008 and 2013 U.S. Open Cup, the 1998 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the 1998 Interamerican Cup and the 1997, 1999, 2006 and 2007 MLS Supporters Shield.
About the Near SE/SW Community Benefits Coordinating Council
The Near Southeast/Southwest Community Benefits Coordinating Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created in 2009 as the result of community dialogue, retreats and careful planning centered around building and bridging the diverse culture of Near Southeast and Southwest. Comprised of a 13-member board of leaders from many of the major community organizations, the CBCC coordinates and advocates for the needs of the constituents living in the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D area.
