Life-sized street art to be unveiled in Hillcrest, Chula Vista and Mission Valley
SAN DIEGO (March 1, 2023) – San Diego Loyal SC, in partnership with Ground Floor Murals, announced today that the 2023 SD Loyal CHARLY Fútbol Home, Away and Goalkeeper Kits will be revealed for the first time to the public on Friday, March 3. Life-sized works of street art featuring three SD Loyal players will be unveiled sequentially in three San Diego County neighborhoods:
- 3 p.m. | Midfielder Collin Martin | Mural Alley, Hillcrest
- 4 p.m. | Midfielder Alejandro Guido | Third Avenue & E Street, Chula Vista
- 5 p.m. | Goalkeeper Duran Ferree | SD Loyal HQ, Mission Valley
Guido, Martin and Ferree will be the first to see the final artwork pieces, featuring life-sized, in-game action tributes to them and the communities they represent. After the unveiling, a final touch will be added to each respective installation — their signature.
Fans, media and the general public are invited to attend all three mural unveilings. From the time that each mural is unveiled until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, fans who post a selfie on social media from any of the three locations using the hashtag #StayLoyal will automatically be entered to win a set of all three 2023 CHARLY Fútbol kits (Home, Away, Goalkeeper), plus 2023 season tickets to the all-inclusive BluPeak Lounge at Torero Stadium.
The 2023 CHARLY Fútbol Home, Away and Goalkeeper kits will be available to purchase online on Friday, March 3 starting at 3 p.m. The first opportunity to purchase the 2023 kits in-person will be on Saturday, March 4, at the SD Loyal x CHARLY Fútbol Kit Release Party at the Adams Avenue Theater. SD Loyal season ticket members will have exclusive early access to the event from 5-7 p.m. Doors will open to the general public from 7-9 p.m. Due to limited capacity fans are encouraged to RSVP here.
“Community representation — on and off the field — has been our North Star since day one,” said SD Loyal President Ricardo Campos. “Via this project with Ground Floor Murals, we continue to amplify this connection and celebrate our community at large. We’re excited to unveil our 2023 CHARLY Fútbol kits in a meaningful way for our fans, players, partners and all of San Diego to enjoy.”
A community-based organization with roots in Chula Vista, Ground Floor Murals was commissioned by SD Loyal to take on the task of bringing Guido, Martin and Ferree to life. Co-founded by artists Paul Jimenez and Signe Ditona, Ground Floor Murals has been a staple in the Southern California street art scene since 2020. Creating alongside each other through each of their projects, Jimenez and Ditona have created remarkable pieces of art both nationally and locally. Recent works have included canvas paintings of Tony Gwynn, Kobe Bryant, The San Diego Chicken, Manny Pacquiao, Kawhi Leonard, Alex Morgan, Canelo Álvarez, Joe Musgrove and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Jimenez and Ditona continue to create art based on their values of instilling self-love and pride in every passerby and providing artistic representation in those communities that most lack relatable creative spaces.
Chula Vista, Hillcrest and Mission Valley were each selected due to their strong ties with the three SD Loyal players.
For Guido, Chula Vista was the obvious choice given the attacking midfielders’ origins and connection with Tijuana. Born and raised in Chula Vista, Guido is a Mater Dei Catholic High School alum, taking home the CIF State title as a freshman in 2009. A self-proclaimed border kid, Guido went on to train in the U.S. Soccer residency program before the 2011 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, where he scored in the group stage against the Czech Republic. In March 2012, Guido signed his first professional contract with nearby Club Tijuana. Over the next nine years, the Chula Vista native would play for Tijuana, Dorados and LAFC before finding his way back home to SD Loyal.
For Martin, who made national headlines in 2018 as the only active athlete from the five major men’s U.S. professional leagues to come out as gay, his continued support of the LGBTQ community has made him a hero for many. The Hillcrest community in particular, which remains at the forefront of fighting for LGBTQ rights and equality, continues to support the work of Martin. San Diego Pride, a community-focused LGBTQ organization, has partnered with Martin and SD Loyal on several initiatives including Pride Night, the San Diego Pride Parade and numerous fundraising efforts. Martin was recently featured in the Amazon Prime series, Tipping Point, where the defensive midfielder was featured in the second of Rio Ferdinand’s miniseries, educating viewers on the positive progress of the LGBTQ+ movement in professional sports.
For Ferree, bringing home the final mural to the San Diego Loyal front offices and The Shop @ SD Loyal in Mission Valley represents the full circle of the club’s mission of growing soccer in the region. Ferree, who made history as the first Loyal Select player to sign a professional contract with the first team, has spent his entire life in San Diego, growing as a player and person within the soccer community. After a standout 2021 season in the inaugural Loyal Select program, Ferree signed a USL Academy contract on Jan. 28, ahead of the 2022 USL Championship season where he would go on to play two matches, starting in one. Under the tutelage of training every day at a professional level with the SD Loyal first team, Ferree’s accelerated development was most recently rewarded with a call up to the United States Under-17 Men’s National Team for the 2023 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship. The 16-year-old started in the USA’s critical quarterfinal match against hosts Guatemala, helping lead the squad to a 5-3 victory and automatic berth in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru.
Single match tickets starting at just $15 are on sale now for SD Loyal’s home opener against Detroit City FC on Saturday, March 11 (7 p.m.) To purchase, visit sdloyal.com/singletickets. 2023 Season Tickets, Group Tickets and Flex Plans are on sale now. To purchase, visit sdloyal.com/tickets, call (858) 465-4625 or email tickets@sdloyal.com.
