Rafa Marquez and the New York Red Bulls, in conjunction with The Rafa Marquez Foundation, hosted a clinic with FC Harlem Tuesday afternoon at Manhattan's Riverside Park.
Roughly 25 young athletes, ranging in age from eight to 10 years old, participated in the one-of-a-kind clinic as participants ran through a series of drills ranging from dribbling, defending, ball control and one-on-one tactical work.
Marquez, currently rehabbing a calf injury, has always been a strong believer in lending a hand in the community whenever he can.
"I'm happy to be here and be able to spend some great time with the kids of FC Harlem who have lent us their facilities to be able to hold the clinic," Marquez said.
Irv Smalls, executive director of FC Harlem, was excited for the community and the young athletes who had the opportunity to once again team up with the Red Bulls, just as they did last season.
"We definitely know the younger kids and the parents appreciate it," Smalls said, "but I think even for our older kids it's really important because we're showing the players that they're not just players on the field, but they spend time giving back."
The New York Red Bulls will support the Rafa Marquez Foundation with a special promotion for the August 19th match against Portland. For every ticket purchased through this special promo code, four dollars will be donated to The Rafa Marquez Foundation. In addition, there will be a silent auction as each of the Red Bulls' players will donate the shirts off their back on the day of the event.
Marquez will be donating items from his career with FC Barcelona, Atlas and the Mexican National team. These items will be auctioned on the day of the event as well.
Additional information will be available at a later date. Details of the actual merchandise up for auction will be shared on the official Twitter account of Rafa Marquez: @RafaMarquezMX.
