Phoenix Rising FC Match Recognizes IPD

Kyle Knox
Gila River Indian News

On Saturday, Oct 1, Phoenix Rising Football Club will honor Indigenous Peoples Day (IPD) before the Oct. 10, holiday. In addition, the club will recognize the Gila River Indian Community with another IPD commemorative apparel item. This year the item will take the form of a soccer scarf, popular in the soccer community, designed by Paul Molina, District 7. 

The Phoenix Rising IPD scarf (pictured above) features Akimel O’otham Basket and Pee Posh Pottery designs recognizing the Akimel O’otham and Pee Posh peoples. The scarf will be on sale at the game, with proceeds going to a GRIC organization that provides meaningful youth programming. 

Last year the club honored IPD for the first time and created an IPD warm-up jersey to celebrate the occasion. Jaime Jackson, District 3, designed the jersey for 2021. It featured an O’otham warrior club and calendar stick, water designs, and the number seven on the back with every district and village listed within. The warm-up jersey was one of Rising’s most popular specialty jerseys they featured throughout the season and sold out quickly. 

Last year’s charitable donation from the jersey sales went to Three Precious Miracles, which used the contributions to help in its work assisting Native foster youth. 

The club will expand its programming by building off the success of last year’s IPD match. This year will include pregame activities featuring a demonstration of the traditional O’otham game of Shongivul and an O’otham basket dance performance. All events will take place on the large south lawn just outside the stadium. 

Phoenix Rising is also adding another bonus for this year’s match by providing discounted tickets for Community members. Tickets for the IPD match can be purchased for five dollars by showing a GRIC tribal ID at the on-site box office. And GRIC children 12 and younger will be allowed in for free. 

The box office, located outside the stadium at Wild Horse Pass, opens at 4:30 p.m., and kick-off starts at 7:30 p.m. The Oct. 1 match will see Phoenix Rising take on the NY Red Bulls II football club.