NYCFC players and fans came together as one this week for a special open practice.
Cityzens were invited to SUNY Purchase on Monday to watch Patrick Vieira’s squad put in the hard yards and to meet the players after the session.
All manner of autographs and selfies were procured from the families in attendance as they got up close and personal with their NYCFC heroes.
Nick Caraofano brought along his son and daughter Nick and Olivia for the practice which he felt was a good chance to connect fans with the players and an example of the amazing opportunities available to Cityzens members.
Nick told NYCFC.com: “It was a great opportunity to have the players interact with the kids. A lot of them are idols that the kids look up to, so it was great to have this experience.
“We really appreciate that they took the time to come and meet all of the families that came to meet them today.
“My son Joseph got the opportunity to walk out onto the field last year with Andrea Pirlo, so that was fun and the biggest thing for me is that Cityzens connects the fans, especially the young fans, to the players – it shows them that anything is possible, loving soccer and growing up in the U.S.”
For Katie and Lisa Gilberson from Portchester, New York, it was an enlightening and inspiring experience to see the players going through their normal days’ work.
Katie and Lisa said: “It’s invaluable to be able to come to practice and see the likes of Andrea Pirlo and David Villa, as well as up and coming players like Jack Harrison playing in person – it’s outstanding.
“Just watching them in person makes it a lot more intimate – it’s great to interact with them at the end but it’s also great to see how training is structured and it’s great for young kids to see that they’re doing similar things to what they’re doing at practice.
“It’s inspiring because there’s a goal, a lesson to be learned – it’s really cool.”
If you want to have the opportunity to watch your NYCFC heroes train and to meet the players, visit here.
City members are also able to vote on Club decisions and have access to unique money-can't-buy experiences, match worn memorabilia, grand prize sweepstakes, discounts, and more.
Become a City Member today to unlock the Cityzens Portal!
