The sun was shining and the temperature was balmy. You couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day for the SF Bay Area “One Year to Go” World Cup kick off ceremony at Santa Clara’s Youth Soccer Park, adjacent to Levi’s Stadium, where the World Cup games will be played.

Santa Clara officials and members of the Bay Area Host Committee (BAHC) were on hand on June 11 for the unveiling of the official FIFA World Cup 26 plaque and the nine-foot-tall FIFA “One Year to Go” Countdown Clock that will travel around the city for the next year.

“Over two decades ago, I was one of the founders who helped create this very park,” said Mayor Lisa Gillmor.

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“We had a vision to give Santa Clara’s youth a space where they could learn, grow and fall in love with this beautiful game. And now the Bay Area Host Committee is bringing six World Cup matches to Santa Clara,” continued Gillmor. “This plaque will remain here long after the World Cup ends, reminding future generations that their community believed in them and created a place where their biggest dreams could come true.”

“This stadium has done a lot for this city, and this year, next year, it puts us on the global stage,” said Council Member Kevin Park. “The entire world is looking at this city through the lens of the stadium and through FIFA. I want to thank everyone who helped bring this here and is committed to make this as successful as possible.”

The kick off wasn’t just about a sports event a year from now. It was also about the ongoing initiatives of the BAHC to make events like the Super Bowl and World Cup catalysts for enduring benefit to the Bay Area community, said BAHC President and CEO Zaileen Janmohamad. Two of those legacy projects are underway now, she said: Sports for All and Bridge to Work.

Sports for All isn’t just a sports program; it’s a program designed to bring communities together around sports.

“Our goal is to create a hub in every single county of the Bay Area,” said Janmohamad. “That’s not just creating a place to play, not just a field and access to coaching. It includes mental health services, homework help, all of the things that happen because there’s a place to gather.”

The second initiative is Bridge to Work, a program that uses the many jobs created by major sports events as opportunities to give people, who wouldn’t otherwise have one, a step up into the workforce.

For every major sports event, hundreds and thousands of people are hired into temporary jobs to support it. Typically, organizations like the NFL hire the same people every year because they’re trained and they know how the event works.

“We said: we don’t want to do it that way,” explained Janmohamad. “We want to bring in people who otherwise would not have access to these jobs; to put them in certification programs, provide training in transportation or medical care — whatever they have an affinity for — and make the job for the event part of the program. They stay with us for a year. These are people that are in need, underserved populations like formerly incarcerated people. These are individuals who otherwise would not have this chance.”

The NFL is fully behind the program.

“They said it’s the first time any host committee has come to them with that kind of thinking and innovation,” said Janmohamad, “and they are thrilled by it.”

Bridge to Work is already showing results.

“We launched it at the NBA All-Star game,” Janmohamad said. “The people who went through our program showed up to work at a higher rate than the people that the NBA hired. If you give them a shot and you train them the right way, they want to prove themselves. Let’s give them a shot.”

The BAHC is the region’s first long-term sports entity dedicated to bringing world-class sporting events to the Bay Area to drive lasting economic, cultural, and social impact.

For more information about other events and initiatives in the Bay Area, visit www.bayareahostcommittee.com or email info@bayareahostcommittee.com.

Read more about the World Cup 2026 in Santa Clara:
Zaileen Janmohamed Focusing on How Instead of Can’t
Santa Clara to Host Six FIFA World Cup Games in 2026
Santa Clara Scores 2026 World Cup

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