Highlighting USL and USLBPA Initiatives

The United Soccer League and the United Soccer League Black Players Alliance announced last week that they would be collaborating on “a series of initiatives celebrating Black History Month.” 

A series of first-person stories written by members of the league’s Black community will be published by the league. Historical imagery will be used in the stories, and they will also help to support and add to an original video series which is currently in production by the players’ alliance. 

The stories will be written and released once a week, with the first edition featuring Forward Madison FC’s JC banks, which dropped on Feb. 5 and is titled “The Clock is Ticking.”

On Feb. 2, the league released the first video of a fan-focused series. Indy Eleven fan Sebastian Dancler was profiled and talked about the moment he fell in love with soccer and why he’s proud to support Indy. 

The players’ alliance themselves have also been releasing a short video series of player features. Three have been released so far, with Joshua-James Donnely, Devante Dubose and Daniel Jackson all having videos thus far. 

In addition to this current collaboration, the league and the players’ alliance partnered with Black Arrow FC in Oct. 2020 and have been releasing videos that highlight the intersection between soccer and Black culture in the USL. 

“We look forward to working with USL to amplify the stories of the players in our organization,” said USLBPA Co-founder and Executive Committee member, Brandon Miller. “We want to give our players the opportunity to be open and candid about their experiences and also give the fans the chance to connect on a deeper level beyond soccer. Black history is a massive part of American history and we also want to highlight those who have paved the way for our own success. Being able to work with the league this month, and beyond, to share these stories is very important for our organization.”