Matt Fondy left an indelible impact on Louisville City FC in his lone season with the club, winning USL Most Valuable Player and the league’s Golden Boot award. That year in Louisville also set Fondy on a course for his next career.
Fondy credits visits to Kentucky Refugee Ministries as inspiration to co-found Oakland Genesis. The free-to-play soccer club removes barriers to entry for underprivileged kids in Fondy’s home state of California, aligning with the goals of the LouCity & Racing Foundation.
Fittingly, Fondy will return to Louisville this fall as keynote speaker for the foundation’s signature event. The Soccer Ball, presented by Fifth Third Bank, is set for Sept. 27 at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville.
“It’s all kind of full circle for me,” Fondy said. “My passion for using soccer as this vehicle for social change started in Louisville. What connected me to refugees, even if we didn’t speak the same language, was soccer.
“What I’ll want people to know is how much the game of soccer can change a kid’s life. I know how much it changed my life, and having worked with players through Oakland Genesis I’ve seen it in their lives.
“Some of that is anecdotal in what I see day to day — how they can build relationships, navigate school, set goals and aspire. It’s also a generation of kids that can come back after they graduate school and keep passing it on. These are seeds you’re planting.”
Tickets are on sale now for the Soccer Ball, which includes a cocktail reception, dinner, awards program and silent and live auctions. All proceeds benefit Soccer Holdings, LLC’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that works to make organized soccer and its benefits available to children throughout the region.
Soccer Ball tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now at soccerball2023.givesmart.com.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response to last year’s inaugural Soccer Ball,” said Jeremy Jarvi, the foundation’s executive director. “That momentum and excitement has continued. This is quickly becoming one of the premier events in town and unique to our culture. We’re thrilled to welcome Matt back as part of this year’s program.”
In addition to its fundraising efforts, the Soccer Ball represents a chance to toast to LouCity and Racing’s ongoing 2023 seasons. Players from both teams — as well as the former City great Fondy — will be on hand to meet attendees.
The star striker for LouCity’s inaugural team in 2015, Fondy tallied what was then a USL-record 22 goals, scoring as many as four in a single game in a feat remembered as the “Matt Trick.”
His last visit to Louisville was in 2018, before LouCity made its move to Lynn Family Stadium. Watching from afar, Fondy said he’s “still filled with pride when I see and root for the team.”
“I don’t have this type of relationship with other clubs I played for,” the 34-year-old added. “There’s a connection I have with Louisville that’s genuine, and I’m excited to see everyone. It was the best year of my career. That doesn’t just come from me personally. That’s a team. That’s a city. That’s an atmosphere.
“Louisville and the team that year has a special place in my heart that will never go away.”
