Vancouver Whitecaps FC added a new fixture to their training home at the National Soccer Development Centre (NSDC) this month. To celebrate the club’s partnership with Husqvarna and the Goals for Trees program, a Coastal Douglas Fir sapling has been positioned on the facility’s east balcony, symbolizing growth and development.
A ceremony took place earlier this month with Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi and leading goalscorer Kei Kamara alongside Husqvarna’s Lower Mainland territory manager Darren Nott.
“This really does symbolize something really good that we’re doing for the community,” noted Kamara about the partnership with Husqvarna. “That’s a part of everything, because people are coming out and supporting [us]. If you can tell them that it’s not just a goal you score, but it gives back to something, then to me I’m happy with that.”
The Goals for Trees program began as a partnership between Husqvarna and Whitecaps FC in 2016, and has since extended to fellow Canadian clubs Montreal Impact and Toronto FC. Each time that the ‘Caps score a goal, 100 trees are planted. Trees originating from the 2017 goal total were planted near 70-mile house in May, jumpstarting reforestation efforts in the area. Since the program began, more than 15,000 trees have been pledged.
