Washington, D.C. – September 14, 2010 – Kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month, Rep. John Salazar (D-CO), Visa Inc. and soccer great Jaime Moreno showcased a FIFA World Cup™ branded educational video game to a large group of Washington, D.C. area Hispanic students today at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s (CHCI) Public Policy Conference.
Visa’s Financial Soccer is a free educational video game that combines the world’s most popular sport with an award-winning financial literacy curriculum to create an innovative approach for helping children and adults learn about personal finance.
One hundred and fifty Hispanic students from the Washington, D.C. area who are taking part in CHCI’s Ready to Lead Program gathered to hear from Moreno about the importance of wise money management. The students then divided up into teams and played Financial Soccer. CHCI's Ready to Lead Program offers training that provides Hispanic high school students with the tools and training they need to prepare for college.
A FIFA Partner since 2007, Visa has rolled out Financial Soccer (known as Financial Football outside the U.S.) in 30 countries around the world. The game can be played in English, Spanish and 8 other languages at www.financialsoccer.com.
"I am proud to join Jaime and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in today’s Financial Soccer event to teach students the importance of financial literacy and fiscal responsibility. As a rancher, husband and father of three, I know how important a budget is to the prosperity of America’s families and small businesses," said Rep. Salazar. "Young people have the unique advantage of time and if we educate our children about the benefits of savings, investment and money management we can ensure the economic vitality of our nation."
"Now more than ever, understanding the fundamentals of money management is critical and Visa is pleased to be working with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute to deliver this vital knowledge ," said Jason Alderman, Senior Director of Financial Education, Visa Inc. "Financial Soccer harnesses Visa’s personal finance expertise and the popularity of soccer to help people worldwide learn how to manage their money successfully."
"CHCI jumped at the opportunity to integrate Visa’s Financial Soccer into our Ready to Lead Program and we are eager to bring this valuable resource to Hispanic students across the country," said Esther Aguilera, President and Chief Executive Officer, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
"Money management is a crucial life skill that is essential for success," said Moreno. "Financial Soccer is a great way to learn those skills."
Financial Soccer challenges players to answer fast-paced, multiple-choice money management questions correctly to advance down the field for a chance to score a goal. Financial Soccer offers single player and head-to-head game play options. This free game features three difficulty levels – geared to children, teens and adults – and has companion lesson modules for classroom use. Players learn key concepts about saving, responsible spending, budgeting, and the wise use of credit.
Financial Soccer is part of Practical Money Skills for Life, Visa’s free, award-winning, financial education program. The program contains comprehensive money management resources and lesson plans tailored for use at home and in the classroom. The game is the latest component of Visa’s decade-long commitment to financial literacy which has helped millions of people worldwide learn how to manage their money wisely.
Financial Soccer comes on the heels of Visa’s financial literacy video game developed with the NFL and NFL PLAYERS. That game has been distributed by 27 state governments to every public high school in those states.
About Visa Inc.
Visa operates the world's largest retail electronic payments network providing processing services and payment product platforms. This includes consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments, which are offered under the Visa, Visa Electron, Interlink and PLUS brands. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world and Visa/PLUS is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in more than 170 countries. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/about-visa/our_business.html.
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