Fans can receive free admission to Saturday’s home Louisville City FC game by signing up to donate blood on site.
LouCity is partnering with Kentucky Blood Center, which will have its “Bloodmobile” at Lynn Family Stadium’s BlueOval SK Fan Zone from 5-8:30 p.m. Saturday. Those who show up to the box office with proof of an appointment — they can be booked in advance at this link — will receive one complimentary ticket to LouCity’s 8 p.m. game against North Carolina FC.
Kentucky Blood Center is seeking to strengthen blood supply through donations at Lynn Family Stadium and elsewhere around the state, with more information available at kybloodcenter.org.
Beneficiaries include people like Louisville native Celia Mikel. Her body is in a constant state of blood loss due to a condition so rare it has no official name, with malformed blood vessels in her intestines necessitating regular transfusions.
“Because of blood donations, I have been able to stay alive, to be able to function, to be able to build a life for myself,” said Mikel, whose treatments are allowing her to “pursue my dreams” as a student at Xavier University.
“Donation, it can be a little scary, a little stressful, and I definitely understand not liking needles,” Mikel added. “No one loves them. I don’t like them, and I have to get them every single week. But I think it’s definitely a thing where it’s like, this is just such an amazing thing to do for other people that, if you’re able to take a minute, take a breath, look at your schedule, figure out even if you just have one day in your month that you could spend 45 minutes to an hour and go donate some blood, I would encourage you to do it.”
Donors must be at least 17 years old (or 16 with signed parental permission), and the time commitment from registration to post-donation refreshments is typically 30-40 minutes. Kentucky Blood Center’s website offers answers to other frequently asked questions.
LouCity hosts North Carolina FC as part of the USL Jägermeister Cup — the in-season, World Cup-style competition nearing the end of its group stage. This is also a revenge game for City, which saw a 19-game regular season unbeaten streak snapped last weekend at North Carolina.
Stadium gates open at 6:30 p.m. for a $2 happy hour on beer, Pepsi products and water ahead of kickoff at 8 p.m. Tickets and more information are available at LouCity.com.
