For the month of October, NCFC Youth is going pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We are engaging our 16,000+ players, 1,500+ coaches, parents, and extended network to be part of the conversation around breast cancer, education & awareness, research, and treatment. In addition, we will be supporting and spotlighting the Pretty in Pink Foundation, an NC founded organization supporting North Carolinians in their treatment of breast cancer.

1 in 8 women in her lifetime, approximately 13% of the female population in the U.S, will get breast cancer. We know many have already faced the toughest battle in the fight against breast cancer, some are in it now, and some will be down the road.

To join in the conversation and fight against breast cancer, NCFC Youth is encouraging players to wear pink socks for training the month of October. If full teams choose to, they are also permitted to wear pink socks during games this month. Our staff will also be supporting the awareness campaign through a pink logo shirt that you will see on the sidelines throughout the month. We also encourage parents and spectators to show us your pink while you cheer on your players and teams this month.

In addition, NCFC Youth has collaborated with soccer.com to donate a portion of all pink socks purchased through soccer.com to Pretty in Pink Foundation. Pretty in Pink Foundation’s mission is to provide uninsured and under-insured breast cancer patients in North Carolina with financial assistance for quality, life-saving medical treatment. Of the nearly, 11,600 North Carolinians expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, nearly 20% of them will qualify for Pretty In Pink’s Foundation support and will require a collective $6 million to support the treatment needs of these individuals.

Socks are shipping on the same day from soccer.com, so it’s not too late to join in and support. To purchase your socks through soccer.com, click here. Use code NCFC5 at checkout for $5 shipping. Note, players can wear pink socks they have or that have been purchased from somewhere else, but only socks purchased through soccer.com will support our collective donation to Pretty in Pink Foundation. If you’d like to make a direct donation to Pretty in Pink Foundation, click here.

We will continue to add different ways we are joining the conversation during Breast Cancer Awareness Month as we move throughout the month. We’ll have personal stories to share, opportunities to support with your own “pink purchase”, and more.

Here are some fast facts about breast cancer from BreastCancer.Org:

• Breast cancer accounts for 12.5% of all new annual cancer cases worldwide, making it the most common cancer in the world.
• In 2023, it is estimated there will be nearly 298,000 cases of breast cancer in women, representing 15% of all new cancer cases in the United States.
• Men can also get breast cancer; in 2023, it is estimated that there will be 2,800 new cases of breast cancer in men
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. women, and female breast cancer is the 4^th leading cause of cancer death in the U.S.
• Research and treatment advancements have raised the five-year survival rate to 90.8% (2013-2019 data)
• For close to forty years, the nation has observed October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

We are glad to use our platform and reach to engage in the Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign and amplify various messages from community health partners and organizations (like Pretty in Pink Foundation) who are committed to the treatment of and fight against breast cancer. Through this campaign, we want to celebrate the lives of those who have fought breast cancer and remind those that are fighting or will fight, that they have an army of 16,000+ players and their families, coaches, and many more supporting them in their journey.