On Saturday, November 17, GACP Sports partnered up with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit to merge the world of fashion, soccer and philanthropy for the first annual Celebrity Beach Soccer Match benefiting Best Buddies. The fundraising event featured a 7 v. 7 exhibition match with celebrities, athletes and SI Swimsuit models.
Team A consisted of NFL’s Rashad Jennings and Santana Moss, LA Galaxy’s Landon Donovan, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models Kate Bock, Anne de Paula, while Team B included Ryan Phillippe, Chad Ochocinco Johnson, JLo’s ex Casper Smart, viral runway breastfeeding sensation Mara Martin, soccer legend Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama, Brazilian footballer Gabriel Gubela, The Bachelor’s Juan Pablo Galavis, Haley Kalil, Hunter McGrady and Myla Dalbesio – Camille Kostek did a coin toss to kick off the game.
Putting their best footwork forward, the celebrities, sports stars and models faced off as Olivia Culpo and newly announced SI Swimsuit rookie Jasmine ‘Golden Barbie’ Sanders cheered their friends on from the sidelines. Notable onlookers in attendance included Latin pop star Prince Royce, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, actor Jason Lewis and SI models Robin Holzken, Samantha Hoopes, Jasmyn Wilkins, Genie Bouchard, Brenna Huckaby, and Tara Lynn.
During halftime, the Miami Heat Dancers gave an energetic performance while all team members took a breather to refresh while huddled to discuss game strategy. Their performance was followed by a friendly game by Best Buddies members who played one round against each other and one was crowned the MVP.
After a fun-filled arduous match, Team B led by captain Ryan Phillippe took home the victory trophy having outscored their opponents 3 to 1. Both teams then headed to the sushi bar provided by Pubbelly Sushi for a much needed meal and refreshments by Alacran Tequila, 3 Kilos Vodka, Sant’ Arturo Prosseco and Essentia Water before getting ready for that evening’s celebratory after party.
Later that evening, all participating celebrities gathered at W South Beach’s WET Deck for an intimate poolside performance by rapper Flo Rida introduced by GACP Sports founder and CEO Joe DaGrosa. Performing 4 of his chart topping songs, SI Swimsuit models Brenna Huckaby¸ Haley Kalil, and Samantha Hoopes enthusiastically jumped on stage to sing and dance along with the rapper. The fun continued with a raucous party at WALL, where the models, Ryan Phillippe, Rashad Jennings danced on the leather tufted couches until 3am.
About GACP Sports LLC
GACP Sports LLC, a division of the private equity firm General American Capital Partners LLC (GACP) , which makes control and influential minority investments in outstanding sports-related businesses that have strong brand equity. With their recent endeavors into soccer related investments such as Soccerex, a leading networking event in the soccer industry for the past 20 years, and the World Fútbol Gala, GACP Sports is bringing together all major stakeholders and relevant businesses together to grow the love of the game around the world. For any additional information please visit both www.soccerex.com and www.worldfutbolgala.com.
About Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Since 1964, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has shaped the careers of supermodels including Heidi Klum, Kathy Ireland, Tyra Banks, Cheryl Tiegs, Marisa Miller, Elle Macpherson, Rachel Hunter, Bar Rafaeli, Brooklyn Decker and, most recently, Kate Upton.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit dominates the pop-cultural conversation for the weeks leading up to the cover reveal and beyond. The franchise is recognized and praised for being the pioneer in the fashion world, celebrating body positivity and diversity along with women’s strength, their causes, and their professional interests outside of modeling.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, which features beautiful women, exotic locales and stunning photography, reaches 70 million people annually through the print magazine, SI.com/Swimsuit, tablet, mobile apps and live events, including Miami Swim Week.
ABOUT BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL:
Best Buddies® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities . Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to nearly 2,500 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies’ eight formal programs — Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies® , Jobs, Ambassadors, and Promoters — engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 50 countries, positively impacting the lives of more than 1.2 million people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org , facebook.com/bestbuddies or twitter.com/bestbuddies.
This article was provided by Tara, Ink.