This summer, the soccer world will train its eyes on the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. Many fans around the globe will experience the talent, the passion, and the fierceness of women’s soccer for the first time.

Whatever. The truth is, women’s soccer has persisted for decades. And it’s awesome!

Which is why Kicking + Screening is proud to kick off a partnership with NWSL club Sky Blue FC in celebrating women’s soccer during the 11th annual Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival New York, taking place from June 4 to June 7.

As part of the partnership, Sky Blue will support the full festival, with a focus on Night 3, Thursday, June 6, when the film lineup emphasizes women in soccer and champions the theme “Against the Odds.” Sky Blue personnel will participate in a panel discussion and Q&A to bring additional perspective on the women’s game.

“The stories screening on Night 3 are united in showcasing strong, unapologetic female athletes going for broke in pursuit of their passion,” K+S cofounder Rachel Markus said. “It seems perfectly aligned with everything that Sky Blue represents. We are proud to partner with these world-class athletes to celebrate the fierce stories within these films and the fierce women they feature.”

“It’s exciting for us to be involved in this festival, and more so that we can partner on a night to celebrate women and girls in soccer,” stated Sky Blue FC General Manager Alyse LaHue. “Against the Odds is certainly a theme that resonates with our club so having the opportunity to participate specifically around this topic is particularly meaningful for us.”

In addition to promotional support for Night 3, Sky Blue will give K+S festival goers the opportunity to experience a home Sky Blue match. All attendees who purchase a ticket for Night 3, June 6, will receive a complimentary ticket to Sky Blue FC vs Orlando Pride on June 22 at Yurcak Field on the campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway. Sky Blue FC will also be providing giveaways and raffle prizes during the evening.

Night 3 of K+S New York 2019 features three films centered on powerful female characters who overcome long odds to pursue their passion for the game. The Night 3 schedule is as follows:

NIGHT 3: Thursday, June 6

Coach 

26 mins | USA + UK | 2019 | Directed by Matthew Ellison + Jordan Axelrod.

Coach follows Tracy Hamm, who currently leads the women’s soccer team at San Francisco State, in her quest to earn the internationally renowned UEFA A coaching license. Hamm turned to Europe after her efforts to pursue a top license from U.S. Soccer were obstructed by requirements that candidates seeking waivers to bypass lower certification levels must have played three years of professional soccer. When she graduated from college in 2006, no professional women’s league existed in the United States.

Coach is a Growth Through Sport production.

PLUS: 
Yasmina
Short | US Premiere | Fifteen-year-old Yasmina passionately loves football and practices at the Saint-Étienne football club. But she is also a Moroccan who is in France without a visa, with her father and his French girlfriend. After she watches her father get arrested right as she returns from training one evening, she will have to make a decision that tests her love of the game. Directed by Claire Cahen & Ali Esmili.
 
Aim High
Short | US Premiere | Having consistently beaten the other girls’ teams, Lleida’s AEM girls’ football club decided to play with the boys. This documentary tells the story of what happened next. Directed by Rojo Rosenvinge + Sandra Bauera.

About Sky Blue FC

Based in New Jersey, Sky Blue FC is one of the nine member clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), which boasts the entire U.S. Women’s National Team and some of the greatest international players in the world. Operated by Sky Blue Women’s Soccer Inc., Sky Blue FC was originally established in the fall of 2006, making its debut on the field with the launch of Jersey Sky Blue in the W-League of the United Soccer Leagues in 2007. Sky Blue FC made its professional debut in 2009, winning the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer championship that year. Sky Blue was also a founding member of NWSL, which launched officially in 2013.