Sacramento Republic FC will kick off the new season with a new name for their stadium, reports FOX40.
What was previously known as Papa Murphy's Park, will now be called Heart Health Park. The name change was unveiled by officials at Cal Expo on Wednesday, May 5.
“The city has a lot of heart, the Republic has a lot of heart, Western Health Advantage has a lot of heart, so it just makes sense on so many levels,” said Garry Maisel, Western Health Advantage President and CEO.
The name is meant to spread awareness about heart disease, which is the number one cause of death across the globe.
“We’ll launch new programs and initiatives to inspire the community to invest in health and wellness, from teaching lifesaving skills, empowering fans to make healthy choices and beyond,” said Sacramento Republic FC Chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle.
Officials said the goal is to encourage Sacramento to become a healthier city. They hope their athletes can set an example for fans to make healthy lifestyle choices.
“And so if they can talk to kids about how they keep themselves healthy, how they keep up the stamina to play this incredibly difficult game of soccer, what an example that sets for those kids!” said Maisel.
Sacramento Republic FC will play their first home game at Heart Health Park on May 12.
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