PIF-backed LIV Golf announces $1m commitment to support Portland charities

LIV Golf is owned and operated by LIV Golf Investments whose vision and mission are centered around making sustainable investments to enhance the global golf ecosystem. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 02 July 2022
Follow

PIF-backed LIV Golf announces $1m commitment to support Portland charities

  • The donation builds on the launch of the organization’s ‘LIV to Give’ social responsibility initiative

LIV Golf has announced it will donate $1 million to support local environmental and community-based organizations in Portland, Oregon, and surrounding regions for this week’s LIV Golf Invitational Portland, the second tournament of the season.

The grant builds on the organization’s launch of the “LIV to Give” corporate social responsibility initiative, which supports education, environmental sustainability and golf development programs, as well as the well-being of communities now and in the future.

“LIV Golf has a bold, long-term vision to grow the game of golf while driving social change in communities across the world,” Atul Khosla, chief operating officer of LIV Golf Investments, said. “Making a positive impact through collaboration with non-profit organizations and community leaders is an integral part of LIV Golf’s mission, and we are proud to support The Wave Foundation and SEALKIDS Inc., charitable groups committed to protecting our future through environmental support and youth development.”

The Wave Foundation and SEALKIDS will both benefit from LIV Golf’s charitable support.

The Wave Foundation will use the funds towards its continued efforts to accelerate environmental programs that address climate change, environmental justice, and youth engagement. Through this grant, LIV Golf will also contribute to the foundation’s ongoing collaborations to develop a more equitable and resilient food system, as well as partnerships with indigenous regional communities that advance environmental sustainability and equity.

As part of this donation, the foundation will continue supporting and expanding its programs for meeting the needs of indigenous communities through food and nutrition relief, connecting local food producers to the marketplace, and collaborating on additional self-sustaining economic developments.

“The Wave Foundation is very close to my heart for its unwavering commitment to our Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs,” said Delson Suppah Sr., tribal elder for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. “I appreciate the support of our tribal way of life and recommendations. I am grateful and humbled by this generous contribution and the continued efforts to help us achieve our mission.”

SEALKIDS is the only national non-profit organization devoted to providing specialized educational support for children in the US Navy SEAL Community. Through this grant, LIV Golf will help children, including those based in the Oregon region, who live in extraordinary circumstances. SEALKIDS’ approach of academic testing, tutoring, therapy, advocacy, and enrichment has a positive transformational impact on the lives of these children, and prepares them for a lifetime of confidence and success.

“Children in the Navy SEAL community have different challenges than other students. This generous donation from LIV Golf will create a lasting impact for our organization and the children we serve,” said Greg Bonifield, SEALKIDS chairman of the board.  “This grant will help expand our reach as we work to fulfil our mission."

Each beneficiary receiving funds will work alongside LIV Golf to ensure the programs deliver value in the local communities.

LIV Golf is owned and operated by LIV Golf Investments whose vision and mission are centered around making sustainable investments to enhance the global golf ecosystem and unlock the sport’s untapped worldwide potential.


Like Leicester and Bodø/Glimt, Swiss soccer club Thun set to be historic league champion

Updated 6 sec ago
Follow

Like Leicester and Bodø/Glimt, Swiss soccer club Thun set to be historic league champion

  • Thun have never won the top-tier league in the club’s 128-year history yet this season has turned the standings into a procession
  • Thun are the latest unheralded European club taking inspiration from Leicester

GENEVA: Like Leicester’s Premier League title in 2016 and Bodø/Glimt’s stunning rise in Norway since 2020, Swiss soccer looks set to get its own surprise champion.
Thun have never won the top-tier league in the club’s 128-year history yet this season has turned the standings into a procession — even as a newly promoted club.
A 2-2 draw with second-place St. Gallen late Thursday stopped Thun’s run of 10 straight wins yet coach Mauro Lustrinelli’s team are 14 points clear with 10 rounds left.
“We are also a young team in the sense that the team are experiencing their first Super League,” Lustrinelli told Swiss public broadcaster SRF after his players conceded a stoppage-time goal to drop points for the first time since December.
Thun head Sunday to local rival Young Boys, a 17-time title winner and Champions League regular in recent years, as the current best team in Switzerland.
Following Leicester’s lead
Thun are the latest unheralded European club taking inspiration from Leicester.
Last year, Union Saint-Gilloise won their first Belgian title for 90 years and tiny Mjällby were champion of Sweden for the first time in their 86-year history.
Title races across Europe see Hearts on course for a first Scottish title in 66 years and Paris Saint-Germain being chased by Lens which won their only French title 28 years ago.
The most common link is clubs in provincial towns and cities run on low budgets with a collective team-first ethic.
“You really feel that it’s like a family,” Lustrinelli said last year when extending his contract at the club where he was once a star striker and has coached for four seasons.
Thun’s key players
It took Thun five years to get out of the second division after being relegated in 2020. That period included severe financial issues and being part of a multi-club ownership group backed by American and Chinese investors.
Thun are independent and locally owned again, and built a plan with Lustrinelli for a team playing the direct, pressing style he wants with two central strikers.
Top scorer this season is 12-goal Elmin Rastoder, a Swiss-born North Macedonia international who could feature in the World Cup playoffs against Denmark later this month.
Rastoder’s strike partner Thursday was Brighton Labeau, once a teammate of Kylian Mbappé, who is three years younger, when they were both in the Monaco academy.
Thun’s star prospect is Ethan Meichtry, a Switzerland under-21 midfielder who could yet make the World Cup squad.
Champions League debut
Thun were one of the smallest clubs to play in the Champions League after Lustrinelli’s 20-goal season lifted the team to Swiss league runner-up in 2005.
Thun advanced through two qualifying rounds to reach the elite stage, finishing third in a group behind Arsenal and Ajax.
Back then, Thun played European games at Young Boys’ stadium in Bern because their old home was below UEFA standard.
If Thun enter the Champions League in the second qualifying round in July, home games should be at their 10,000-seat Stockhorn Arena — with artificial turf, just like at Bodø/Glimt inside the Arctic Circle in Norway.
The Swiss champion must win through three qualifying rounds to reach the 36-team league phase.
Home of Swiss soccer
Thun will soon be the home of Switzerland’s soccer federation.
The Swiss Football Home project was approved last August and will include a new headquarters for the federation plus training fields for national teams. Next door will likely be the next Swiss champion.
“The road is still long,” Lustrinelli said of the 10-game run-in, “and we want everyone who will help us get those 30 points.”