CARY, N.C. (Oct. 8, 2025) — The North Carolina Courage and North Carolina FC today announced the launch of the Game Changer Award Program, a new initiative to honor K-12 students who go above and beyond in the classroom and in their community.

Teachers and coaches at participating schools in the greater Triangle area will select one boy and one girl in their class or team to be honored as Game Changers at the North Carolina FC match on October 10 and Courage match on October 11 at the inaugural Student Recognition Nights. As part of the initiative, players from both the Courage and NCFC have visited select participating schools over the last few weeks.

“The Game Changer Program is about celebrating young people who are making a difference in their schools and communities. These students embody the same values of hard work, character, and leadership that we strive for as an organization, and we’re proud to recognize and support them as part of the North Carolina Courage and North Carolina FC family,” said North Carolina Football Club Chief Operating Officer Ralph Vuono.

All Game Changer Award nominees will receive an award certificate.

Participating schools also receive access to the school ticket package, which includes discounted group tickets for families, faculty and friends, seating together to build unity and school pride, kick-off visit to their school from staff or players, custom email and ticket link just for their school, and $2.50 from every ticket goes to their school’s PTA, athletics or general fund.

The Game Changer Program is part of North Carolina Football Club’s continued effort to support North Carolina schools. This initiative is the first step in what will be a more comprehensive collaboration with schools in 2026, building long-term partnerships to support education across North Carolina. In addition to the club’s work, Courage forward Hannah Betfort was nominated for the NWSL’s Lauren Holiday Impact Award for her work with WakeEd, a local nonprofit focused exclusively on transforming teaching and leadership modeling in Wake County Public Schools to provide graduating students with the content knowledge and skills they need to succeed in a complex and changing workplace.

While the initial participating schools are located in and around the Triangle, the program is open to any elementary, middle, or high school in North Carolina. Any teachers or administrators interested in their school becoming part of the program can contact Makenzie Felicia (mfelicia@northcarolinafc.com) for more information.

Tickets for the Courage’s Game Changer Night are available here and tickets for NCFC’s Game Changer Night are available here.