The second annual 5k for Davide takes place on the morning of August 26, 2023
A New York City soccer community is coming together once again to remember one of their own and raise money for those in need throughout the city.
New York International FC (NYIFC) tragically lost a founding member of the club, Davide Giri, on December 2, 2021, when he was fatally stabbed just a few blocks from his apartment on his way home from training.
For the second year in a row the club, along with Fit Club NY, is organising a charity fundraiser in his memory centered around a 5k run/walk on August 26 from 9:30 a.m. EDT.
“Davide was a great friend and teammate, and every single person who had the pleasure of knowing him would attest to his good nature and the lasting impact he has left on our lives,” says Nick Platt, NYIFC head coach and founder
“Through us and all his loved ones, his legacy lives on. He has given our football club an added incentive and purpose to live up to his lofty standards and ensure on the pitch and in our work in our community that we make him proud.”
This year’s event will be raising money for EV Loves NYC, a New York soup kitchen that prepares and distributes meals for those in need throughout the city.
This fundraiser comes at a time when large numbers of asylum seekers arriving in the city are being herded rather than helped.
Obstacles are being put in the way of organisations similar to EV Loves NYC, often majority-volunteer-run, who are trying to provide aid, comfort and food to those in need.
It is therefore important that the work of these organisations continues to be highlighted and supported, and pressure is put on politicians to treat asylum seekers in a humane manner.
The second annual 5k for Davide will not only raise such awareness but it will also provide vital funds to directly help anyone throughout the city who is struggling with food poverty and insecurity—whether they have recently arrived or have been there all their lives.
EV loves NYC has an existing relationship with NYIFC forged at the time of the first annual 5k for Davide in 2022.
This bond and shared community values make them ideal partners for such a memorial and fundraising effort, safe in the knowledge money raised will contribute to a practical essential for those in the city most in need.
They have seen first hand the work done by EV loves NYC. Volunteers at the soup kitchen in East Village often include players and staff from the club, as well as groups of New York Cosmos fans who continue their community work in the city even though their own team remains on an uncertain, indefinite hiatus.
Giri was described as “one of the pillars of the club” in NYIFC’s formative years. An Internazionale supporter who, as a player, was noted for his defensive work rate and whose tackling drew comparisons with fellow Italian defender, Alessandro Nesta!
“Davide was an incredibly humble and selfless man,” added Platt.
“I hope our work to continue supporting worthy causes in his honor can help us all find some comfort and healing from something we are all scarred by.”
New York International FC is currently playing pre-season friendlies ahead of the club’s 2023/24 campaign.
Signups and donations for the 5k for Davide can be made via Eventbrite
EB