{"id":514115,"date":"2026-03-21T00:27:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T00:27:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/514115\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T00:27:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T00:27:39","slug":"golden-knights-afc-bournemouth-partnership-grows-youth-soccer-in-las-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/514115\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden Knights, AFC Bournemouth partnership grows youth soccer in Las Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) \u2014 The connection between the Vegas Golden Knights and English Premier League club AFC Bournemouth was on full display Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena, but the impact of that partnership is extending far beyond a single game.<\/p>\n

WATCH | Golden Knights, AFC Bournemouth partnership brings youth soccer to Las Vegas<\/p>\n

Golden Knights, AFC Bournemouth partnership brings youth soccer growth to Las Vegas<\/p>\n

The Golden Knights hosted a Bournemouth-themed night during their matchup against Utah, transforming Toshiba Plaza into a seaside-inspired \u201cBeach of Bournemouth\u201d and incorporating the English club into in-game traditions, including the March to the Fortress and pregame siren.<\/p>\n

The celebration is part of a broader collaboration led by owner Bill Foley, who purchased AFC Bournemouth in 2022. Since then, the focus has expanded beyond the international stage to youth soccer development in Southern Nevada<\/a>, which we first shared with you in November, 2025. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n

AFC Bournemouth and Golden Knights team up to grow youth soccer in Las Vegas<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Nearly 2,000 local players now participate in the Vegas Bourne Youth Soccer League, supported by hundreds of donated uniforms through Foley Entertainment Group.<\/p>\n

For club ambassador Steve Fletcher, the initiative reflects a long-term vision.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo my role at the club right now is ambassador\u2026 I\u2019ve been at the club 33 years now\u2026 if you cut me open I would bleed red and black,\u201d Fletcher said.<\/p>\n

Fletcher, the club\u2019s all-time appearances leader, said Foley\u2019s influence has been immediate and impactful.<\/p>\n

\"AFC<\/p>\n

KTNV<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Bill took over in 2022\u2026 he laid down things he wanted to do straight away\u2026 everything Bill\u2019s said he\u2019s gonna do, he\u2019s done,\u201d Fletcher said. \u201cHe\u2019s been brilliant for this football club.\u201d<\/p>\n

That vision is now taking shape in Las Vegas, where Bournemouth has begun working directly with young players.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went there and young boys were playing\u2026 ages from 7, 8 year old all the way through to 19\u2026 it\u2019s something that we want to build,\u201d Fletcher said.<\/p>\n

\"Golden<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n

While soccer continues to grow in the United States, Fletcher sees significant potential in the Las Vegas market.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always potential\u2026 it\u2019s an untouched gem,\u201d he said. \u201cThe more children we can get involved\u2026 the potential is there, I believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the partnership is already creating opportunities for talent identification.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a few boys there\u2026 I was talking to a few of the coaches\u2026 they\u2019ve written down a few names for me to take back,\u201d Fletcher said.<\/p>\n

\"Golden<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n

The two-day celebration continues Friday with a watch party for Bournemouth\u2019s Premier League match against Manchester United at City National Arena, further connecting local fans with the club.<\/p>\n

As the relationship between the two organizations grows, so does the opportunity for young athletes in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways believe\u2026 never give up your dream and work hard\u2026 there\u2019s no substitute for hard work,\u201d Fletcher said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAS VEGAS (KTNV) \u2014 The connection between the Vegas Golden Knights and English Premier League club AFC Bournemouth…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514116,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5129],"tags":[3504,6803,149,5317,5,3511,10697,4,10698,86,5754,74,39,10699,5316],"class_list":{"0":"post-514115","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vegas-golden-knights","8":"tag-13-action-news","9":"tag-abc-13","10":"tag-golden-knights","11":"tag-goldenknights","12":"tag-hockey","13":"tag-las-vegas-sports","14":"tag-las-vegas-sports-teams","15":"tag-nhl","16":"tag-sports-in-vegas","17":"tag-sports-news","18":"tag-sports-stories","19":"tag-vegas","20":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","21":"tag-vegas-sports","22":"tag-vegasgoldenknights"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116264334904832052","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}