EA SPORTS FC™ and LALIGA Launch New York Community Pitch as Part of FC FUTURES Program, Designed by Local Artist BG183

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2026--

EA SPORTS FC™ and LALIGA have unveiled a newly refurbished community football pitch in the South Bronx, New York, as part of FC FUTURES – EA SPORTS’ grassroots initiative to expand access to the game and connect football communities around the world.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260507812174/en/

Marking the 10th pitch delivered through the program with LALIGA globally, the project brings together soccer, creativity and community to create a safe, inclusive space for young people and local families to learn through play. Developed in collaboration with local partners and featuring a custom design by Bronx artist BG183, the pitch is connected to P.S./M.S. 31 The William Lloyd Garrison School and has been delivered alongside love.fútbol and South Bronx United to support long-term impact in the community.

Located in the South Bronx, the pitch has been designed as a multi-use space that goes beyond the game, supporting school physical education and daily recess, alongside football programming, tournaments and wider community events. Developed with Urban Soccer Park, the small-sided format enables year-round use and flexible programming for players of all ages.

The pitch’s artistic identity has been created by Sotero Ortiz, known as BG183 — a pioneering graffiti artist born and raised in the South Bronx and a founding member of Tats Cru. His design draws on the four elements of hip-hop and everyday life in the borough, capturing the energy of street football and local culture, and creating a space that reflects the identity of the community it serves.

LALIGA Ambassador Patrick Kluivert joined the inauguration, celebrating the opening with local children and families. He commented: “Soccer has the power to connect people everywhere, and that is what makes initiatives like this collaboration with EA SPORTS FC FUTURES and LALIGA so special. Seeing a space like this open in the South Bronx, with so much personality and meaning for the local community, is truly inspiring. I hope every child who plays here feels that this pitch belongs to them — a place where they can dream big, enjoy the game and create unforgettable memories.”

Beyond the pitch itself, the project includes a long-term education and football program delivered with South Bronx United, using soccer as a platform for academic support, mentoring and leadership development. The space will support more than 500 local students through school use, alongside year-round programming and community events designed to create lasting impact.

James Salmon, Senior Director, Partnerships Marketing, EA SPORTS FC, said: “FC FUTURES is about connecting our platform with real world soccer to create opportunities for the next generation. While EA SPORTS FC lives in the game, our ambition goes beyond it - working with partners like LALIGA and local communities to create spaces where football can be played and experienced physically. Projects like this in the South Bronx show how football can bring people together and create lasting impact.

“Through FC FUTURES, EA SPORTS FC™ is helping to build a global platform that connects the digital and real-world game to expand access to football. This work developed in partnership with LALIGA now spans multiple regions across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas, alongside complementary programs including equipment donations and youth initiatives such as Next Gen Draft. As part of this, BG183’s distinctive artwork will also feature in-game through a newly released kit inspired by the South Bronx pitch, further connecting players around the world to the culture and creativity behind the project.”

Jorge de la Vega, LALIGA’s Executive Director of Business, said: “The FC FUTURES initiative reflects our belief that the future of soccer is built from the grassroots level up. This project in New York is especially meaningful because it brings together access to sport, long-term community impact and a strong local identity. Together with EA SPORTS FC and our community partners, we want this pitch to become a place where young people can play, grow and find new opportunities through football.”

The project reflects the ongoing commitment from EA SPORTS FC to growing the game globally, connecting digital and real-world football, and working with league partners like LALIGA to expand access, celebrate local culture and create new opportunities for communities to play and engage with the sport.

A selection of assets from the pitch unveiling are available here: https://eapressportal.com/download/65377/dd1318b9fcd57700c61bb6bcbcaadfb95963e895

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.

In fiscal year 2026, EA posted GAAP net revenue of approximately $7.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS FC™, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, EA SPORTS™ Madden NFL, EA SPORTS™ College Football, Need for Speed™, Dragon Age™, Titanfall™, Plants vs. Zombies™ and EA SPORTS F1 ®. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS FC, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Apex Legends, The Sims, Dragon Age, Titanfall, and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, and F1 are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.

Category: EA SPORTS

EA SPORTS FC™ and LALIGA launch New York community pitch as part of FC FUTURES program

EA SPORTS FC™ and LALIGA launch New York community pitch as part of FC FUTURES program

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is hanging just below its records Thursday as oil prices keep dropping on hopes that a deal may be nearing to allow tankers to deliver crude once again from the Persian Gulf to customers.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell 0.5% to $100.76, down from more than $115 early this week. It and gasoline are still much more expensive than they were before the war with Iran began, but hope is rising in financial markets as Iran said it was reviewing the latest U.S. proposals on ending their war.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 fell 0.3% from its all-time high set the day before after a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said, “We expect an agreement sooner rather than later.” Pakistan has been acting as a mediator between the United States and Iran, and the hope is that they will reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Its closure during the war has kept oil tankers trapped in the Persian Gulf and sent prices higher for crude and all kinds of products.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 244 points, or 0.5%, as of 1:14 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1% from its own record.

Of course, Wall Street has rallied strongly before on hopes for a coming end to the war with Iran, only to get quickly disappointed. That could happen again, and tensions are still high in the Middle East after a U.S. fighter jet shot out the rudder of an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman Wednesday as it tried to breach the American blockade of Iran’s ports.

Despite all those uncertainties, a powerful parade of U.S. companies saying they made even bigger profits during the first three months of the year than analysts expected has helped support the U.S. stock market. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term.

Datadog leaped 25.7% to help lead the U.S. market after the monitoring and security platform for cloud applications topped analysts' expectations for profit in the latest quarter.

Albemarle rose 6.1% after the lithium products and specialty chemicals company likewise delivered better-than-expected results. Taser maker Axon Enterprise rallied 10.2% after raising its forecast for revenue this year in part because of big growth for its counter-drone products.

They helped offset a 12.5% drop for Whirlpool, which tumbled after reporting much weaker results than analysts expected. It announced the largest price increases in a decade for its major appliances in North America, while accelerating cuts to its costs, as it contends with weaker confidence among U.S. consumers.

Shake Shack dropped 28.4% after its results for the latest quarter fell well below analysts' expectations.

McDonald’s was mostly unchanged even though its revenue for the latest quarter edged past analysts’ expectations. CEO Chris Kempczinski said high gasoline prices and consumer anxiety over the Iran war could dent its sales this spring.

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.38% from 4.36% late Wednesday, but remains down from 4.45% early this week.

Lower yields can bring down rates for mortgages and other kinds of loans going to U.S. households and businesses, which in turn can give the economy a boost. Lower yields also tend to push upward on prices for stocks and other kinds of investments.

The 10-year Treasury yield, though, remains well above its 3.97% level from just before the war.

Several reports on the U.S. economy also came in mixed. One said more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, but the increase was not as bad as economists expected. Another report suggested that productivity for U.S. workers improved by only half of what economists expected for the latest quarter.

In stock markets abroad, indexes fell in Europe following a stronger finish in Asia.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 roared 5.6% higher as trading in Tokyo reopened following a holiday and caught up with big gains for Asian markets from earlier in the week. It’s at a record after soaring nearly 71% in the last 12 months on strength for tech stocks benefiting from the boom in artificial intelligence.

“I think it’s a kind of bubble because buying activity concentrated on leading AI, artificial intelligence stock and semiconductor-related stocks. It’s a situation where only semiconductor stocks are being bought,” said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at MONEX.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Robert Finnerty, Jr., foreground right, works with colleagues on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Edward McCarthy, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

A display shows $20 for gasoline on a gas pump at a Mobil gas station on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

FILE - People pass the New York Stock Exchange on May 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

FILE - American flags fly outside the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Trader Joseph Stevens, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)