Visa Brings Personal Finance Education to Football Fans Worldwide
with Free FIFA-Themed Video Game
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 23, 2009--
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Conference today that it is launching a new FIFA World Cup™ branded
educational video game as the centerpiece of a commitment to reach 20
million people worldwide with financial literacy information by May 1,
2013. Last year at CGI, Visa pledged to reach 10 million people with
personal finance education within five years, and today the company
announced its ambitious plan to double that goal.
To reach this milestone, Visa unveiled an innovative new approach for
helping children and adults learn about personal finance: Financial
Football – a free video game that combines the world's most popular
sport with an award-winning financial literacy curriculum.
A FIFA Partner since 2007, Visa will roll out its Financial Football
game (known as Financial Soccer in the U.S.) in over 12 countries
in the months leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The game, which
went live in Brazil on September 15, is now available for U.S. players
at www.financialfootball.com
and www.financialsoccer.com.
Financial Football 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.
“We believe one of the most important tools to spur financial inclusion
is not a product – it is knowledge,” said
Joseph W. Saunders
, Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer of Visa Inc. “We are pleased to be joining
forces with FIFA to harness Visa’s personal finance expertise and the
popularity of the FIFA World Cup to help people worldwide learn how to
manage their money successfully.”
“Supporting education is part of FIFA’s long-standing commitment to
promoting social development through football,” said FIFA Secretary
General Jérôme Valcke. “Visa’s Financial Football channels the
passion for football and helps make learning about money management
entertaining. This learning tool will be a valuable resource for
community-based organizations and their work with youngsters.”
As part of the launch of Financial Football, Saunders rang the
opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) today. Saunders was
joined at the bell ringing by NYSE Euronext CEO
Duncan Niederauer
, U.S.
national team captain
Landon Donovan
of the Los Angeles Galaxy and World
Cup veteran
Brian McBride
of the Chicago Fire. Before the bell ringing,
copies of an NYSE-themed version of Financial Football were
distributed to each trader on the exchange floor. The NYSE will also use
the game as part of its ongoing financial literacy outreach with
teachers across the country.
“NYSE Euronext is proud to join with Visa in promoting financial
literacy to America's youth,” said
Duncan Niederauer
, CEO, NYSE
Euronext. "Visa and NYSE Euronext share a strong commitment to financial
literacy and to reaching young people in innovative and interesting
ways. I applaud Visa's initiative and welcome this opportunity, one of
many that we support, to increase the public's awareness and
understanding of finance and our capital markets.”
Following the bell ringing, Visa hosted a Financial Football clinic
with Donovan, McBride and Mexican soccer legend
Jorge Campos
at Martin
Luther King Jr. High School in Manhattan to give students a preview of
the game and teach them the fundamentals of money management.
Financial Football
Financial Football 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 Football offers
single player and head-to-head game play options and is being translated
into a dozen different languages. 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.
“It would have been great to learn more about personal finance when I
was in school,” said Donovan. “Fortunately, Financial Football
provides today’s students with the opportunity and tools to learn about
the financial world in ways that were never available to me when I was
younger.”
“Money management is a crucial life skill that is essential for
success,” said Campos. “Financial Football is a great way to
learn those skills.”
“Knowing how to manage your money will let you take control of your
financial future,” said McBride. “Financial Football is an
excellent way to learn those money management skills, all while getting
to play a great game.”
To view and download a copy of video footage featuring Financial
Football and interviews with Visa executives and soccer players,
visit www.thenewsmarket.com/visa.
Practical Money Skills for Life
Financial Football 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.
Financial Football comes on the heels of Visa’s financial
literacy video game developed with the NFL and NFL PLAYERS. That game
has been distributed by 23 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 www.visa.com.
Source: Visa Inc.
For Visa, Inc.
Steve Hickok, 212-453-2353
steve.hickok@fleishman.com