SAN Banco Santander SA

BOSTON, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of its commitment to education and the successful start to the New England Revolution's 2015 season, Santander Bank, N.A. today announced the launch of its second consecutive Santander Soccer Scholars^SM program. The program gives New England youth the chance to win a unique VIP Match Day experience with the Revolution in recognition of their academic achievement.

After more than 350 New England families signed up to take part in the three-week Santander Soccer Scholars contest in September 2014, the Bank and the Revolution extended the program throughout the 2015 MLS regular season.

Santander is the Official Bank of the New England Revolution, who are currently playing their 20^th season in Major League Soccer.

"Through our partnership with the Revolution, we look for new and exciting ways to engage the community on issues that are important to us. We're excited that Santander Soccer Scholars will allow us to celebrate and support educational excellence in our local communities," said Mike Bruno, region president for Northeast New England at Santander. "Making Santander Soccer Scholars a season-long program gives us even more of an opportunity to recognize the outstanding academic achievements of students throughout New England."

New this year, Santander has partnered with Revolution forward and New England native Charlie Davies, who will serve as the champion and official face of the 2015 Santander Soccer Scholars program. Davies, who hails from Manchester, New Hampshire, attended Boston College, where he thrived not only on the pitch, but also in the classroom before beginning a professional career that has seen him play in France, Sweden and Denmark as well as in MLS while also appearing for the U.S. National Team.

"Growing up, my parents, teachers and coaches taught me how important it was to be a well-rounded student athlete, so it is incredibly rewarding to be involved in a program like Santander Soccer Scholars that underscores that same message," said Davies. "I'm excited to partner with Santander to help honor the achievements of New England's youth."

Davies recently joined Santander and the New England Revolution to kick-off the program at the West End House Boys & Girls Club, where he highlighted the importance of academics and athletics during a Q&A, and demonstrated some of the skills that have helped make him one of the top forwards in the MLS for more than 70 elementary and middle school students.

To participate in the Santander Soccer Scholars program, parents are invited to submit up to 100 words highlighting their child's finest academic accomplishments from the 2014-2015 school year (www.revolutionsoccer.net/santander-soccer-scholars), between April 7 and October 1, 2015. The parent will be entered to win the opportunity for the child to participate in a VIP Match Day experience. Each winner, selected at random, will receive four tickets to a designated match, one parking pass, and a photo opportunity with Charlie Davies. Depending on their age, winning children will also have the chance to serve as an Official MLS Ball Kid, be the ball carrier or participate on the Revolution Dream Team, where they will walk onto the field with the Revolution starting lineup and stand with the players during the national anthem.

Santander has a long-standing commitment to education at all levels—from elementary to post-secondary school. Santander invested more than $11 million in the United States and invested 146 million euros in education worldwide in 2014. Through its Santander Universities program, Santander funds more than 1,000 scholarships and supports over 70 university projects at 39 colleges in the United States, including 16 institutions in Massachusetts.  

"Last year's inaugural program really resonated with our fans, and we're thrilled to partner with Santander to make this year's program a season-long initiative," said New England Revolution president Brian Bilello. "We look forward to honoring the hard work and achievements of local students with once-in-a-lifetime game day opportunities, and further inspire them through interactions with the players they admire." 

For more information on the Santander Soccer Scholars program, visit www.revolutionsoccer.net/santander-soccer-scholars. Parents who are residents of the six New England States (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) can submit an entry from by visiting www.revolutionsoccer.net/santander-soccer-scholars. Limit one entry per child. Contest is open now and ends on October 1, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. To be eligible for the Santander Soccer Scholars sweepstakes, children must be between the ages of six and 17. Winners will be selected at random.

About Santander
Santander Bank, N.A. is one of the largest retail banks in the United States by deposits. Its main corporate offices are in Boston and it operates principally in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Santander's 9,703 employees serve its 1.8 million customers through the Bank's 703 branches, 2,092 ATMs, call centers, website and mobile app. Supervised by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Santander in the United States is a wholly-owned, financially autonomous subsidiary of Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN), a global commercial and retail bank. For more information about Santander, visit www.santanderbank.com or call 877-768-2265.

New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is the Northeast region's premier professional soccer team, owned and operated by the Kraft Family, which also owns and operates the New England Patriots of the National Football League, and Gillette Stadium, the home of the club. A founding member of the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer in 1996, the Revolution has played in the MLS Cup championship match four times – including three straight from 2005 to 2007 – while advancing to the Eastern Conference Championship game in an MLS-record six straight years (2002-07). The Revolution also won the 2007 U.S. Open Cup and the 2008 SuperLiga titles. For more information, visit revolutionsoccer.net, or interact with the Revolution on its various social media platforms: Twitter (@NERevolution), Facebook (NERevolution), Goggle+ (+NERevolution), Instagram (NERevolution), Vine (NERevolution), Pinterest (NERevolution) or YouTube (NERevolutionSoccer). 

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SOURCE Santander Bank, N.A.