Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra to Sign Autographs, Give Tickets Away Sunday in Torrance
U.S. soccer icon Mia Hamm and her husband, former Red Sox and Dodger great Nomar Garciaparra, host a charity soccer game Jan. 16 at Carson's Home Depot Center.
The ticket giveaway is from 1-2 p.m. at Sport Chalet, 21305 Hawthorne Blvd., at Del Amo Village (that's at the intersection of Torrance & Hawthorne boulevards).
The free tickets are for the third Annual Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge set for 3 p.m. Jan. 16 at Home Depot Center on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills. One ticket will be given to each of the first 100 people in line. The store will sell tickets to the event priced at $20 all weekend between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are also available via TicketMaster.
The charity soccer match benefits Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the Mia Hamm Foundation. The nonprofit foundation raises funds and awareness for bone marrow transplant patients and their families. Mia's late brother, Garrett, died in 1997 from a bone marrow disease. More than $250,000 has been raised since the event began.
Confirmed challenge participants include U.S. Women's National Team greats Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy and Kristine Lilly, Galaxy icon Cobi Jones, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, Lakers point guard Jordan Farmar, Olympic volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh and Chivas USA's Gerson Mayen. Other Galaxy and Chivas USA players have yet to be confirmed.
From the event press release:
At halftime, patients who were suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases will be introduced in person for the very first time to their bone marrow donors. The donor and recipient meetings will recognize all those who have given hope to patients in need of a life-saving transplant by joining the National Marrow Donor Program Registry. Fans in attendance will be given the opportunity to register and become donors themselves at the City of Hope Bone Marrow Registry on the concourse.
Said Hamm:
"This event is a great atmosphere for fans of soccer, sports, celebrities, and music. It is more important than ever to bring our diverse community together to ensure people in need are given the best chance at a donor match. We hope to increase the number of registrants this year and find another successful match."
For more check out the the foundation's Facebook page.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
The Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation are proud to support Mia and Nomar in the effort to raise awareness about the need for more people to register as potential bone marrow donors. In addition to attending the Soccer Challenge on Jan 16, we also hope you'll considering registering to walk for Hope, Steps and A Cure against bone marrow failure diseases like those Mia's brother Garrett had - including aplastic anemia and MDS. Info at www.AAMDS.org/WalkLA or www.firstgiving.com/aamds.
I doubt Rivers Cuomo will be playing as he got into a tour bus accident last month which caused them to cancel all their January shows. He is still recovering from the accident.