is adding a football element to its youth SummerFest in Toronto this weekend, with former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch serving as a special guest.
Aside from competing in a celebrity ball hockey game, Lynch will also host a football clinic at the HDA’s fourth festival on Saturday. The former Seattle Seahawks player and 2014 Super Bowl champion is no stranger to the HDA. Lynch took the ice at the alliance鈥檚 WinterFest that coincided with Toronto hosting the NHL All-Star Game two years ago.
鈥淚鈥檓 really excited about him and the football aspect of it,鈥� HDA chairman Akim Aliu said. 鈥淲here we鈥檙e able to have success as an organization is tapping into the culture and personality aspects and using people鈥檚 audiences from different sports.鈥�
The HDA was launched in 2020 by current and former NHL players of color , and with an objective of opening hockey to minorities and underserved youth by providing free hockey equipment, hosting clinics and renting ice time.
Aliu estimated the HDA has spent about $1.1 million annually in its grassroots mission, and has . The alliance has launched programs in Los Angeles, New York, Montreal, Nova Scotia, and is preparing to add Calgary, Alberta, to the mix next month, Aliu said.
SummerFest stands as the major event on the HDA calendar, and features performances, carnival attractions and rides, followed by a fundraising gala in the evening.
Among the notable athletes scheduled to attend are Canadian Olympic sprinter Andre De Grasse, tennis player Bianca Andreescu, former Seahawks tight end Luke Wilson and former Toronto Raptors player Serge Ibaka.
Aliu anticipates the daytime event attracting a capacity crowd of more than 4,000 participants.
who was born in Nigeria, lived in Ukraine and picked up the sport when his family moved to Toronto when he was 7. In 2022, Scholastic and the publishing company of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick released a titled: 鈥淎kim Aliu Dreamer: Growing Up Black in the World of Hockey.鈥�
鈥淲hy I鈥檓 so proud of our work is because it鈥檚 really for the most vulnerable that would never have access to the sport,鈥� Aliu said. 鈥淥ver 2,000 lives have been positively impacted by our work, and we鈥檙e just getting going.鈥�
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