The 8:05

Globalizing community relations

Headshot of Michael Armini
by

There is often a perceived dichotomy between local and global. But it can sometimes be a false dichotomy. Case in point: Yesterday on Carter Field in Boston hundreds of people assembled representing dozens of countries. It was part of the opening ceremonies for the Unity Cup, a global soccer tournament with adult players from 25 different countries. 

Organized and run by the Soccer Unity Project, a Boston-based nonprofit, the Unity Cup includes teams from Brazil, Venezuela, Uganda, Morocco, El Salvador, Cape Verde, Vietnam and other nations. Northeastern is a long-time ally of the Soccer Unity Project, and this year all of the teams jerseys—no matter what nation’s flag is on the front—sported Northeastern branding on the back:

Someone wearing a black t-shirt with a large number 8 and Northeastern on the back.

I was honored to speak at yesterday’s kick off (pun intended) and I thought for today’s 8:05 I’d provide the text of my remarks. I was introduced by Caroline Foscato, president and CEO of the Soccer Unity Project: 

Thank you so much, Caroline. And thanks to you and your entire team for putting all of this together. It is clearly a huge undertaking. 

I also want to extend a special thank you to Mayor Michelle Wu, who made the time to be here this on this perfect, sunny morning. Her presence is a good reminder that—when you’re the mayor of Boston—there’s no such thing as a day off. 

I’d like to share a brief story with all of you. About 10 years ago, I was on this very same spot playing soccer with my son, who went on the be a very serious player. But it was a lot different then. 

At that time, where we’re standing right now was mostly dirt with some patches of dead grass. The terrain was bumpy. There was litter everywhere. 

Fortunately a colleague of ours at Northeastern had an idea. This was, and still is, a city-owned field. But the city simply hasn’t had the resources to enhance it. So, we at Northeastern said to the city and to our neighbors: We’ll make the investment needed to create two state of the art turf fields, and the toddler playground behind me, and the park over there on the corner.

The result is one of the greatest public-private partnerships in the history of this city. The university and local residents share use of these fields each and every day—the ultimate win-win situation. 

Which brings us to today. Northeastern is a global university, which is just one of the reasons we’re thrilled to be part of this global tournament. Our students come from more than 100 countries around the world. There are 24 nations represented here today. Your jerseys are spectacular, by the way. 

I sometimes have to remind my American friends that soccer is the most global sport and therefore the most popular sport on the planet. Consider these two data points: The American football star Tom Brady has 13.9 million followers on Instagram, while Cristiano Ronaldo has 592 million followers.

[At this moment there were cheers from the Portugal team and boos from the Venezuela team.]

You know, I was ready for this reaction. For the record, Lionel Messi has 425 million followers on Instagram. Another staggering number. 

So, make no mistake, you are playing the world’s most popular sport. I wish all of you competitive matches, a great tournament—and most of all make sure to have fun. 

Thank you! 

Michael Armini speaking at a microphone wearing a Northeastern Athletics shirt.

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