The organising committee of the GENERALI CEE Cup, the annual U19 football tournament that takes place in Prague each year, has released a brand new CD entitled “We Are Strong Together”, as the official theme song for the 2013 tournament.
The song is the brainchild of the Chairman of the tournament’s Organising Committee, Roberto De Blasio. All proceeds from the sale of the CD will be added to the total donation that the GENERALI CEE Cup gives to UNICEF each year for its Schools for Africa project.
Talking about the song, Mr. De Blasio said:
“Anyone who has ever been in the stands at a football match knows the feelings of community and camaraderie you feel with the other spectators. I think that a strong theme song really aids in bringing everyone together to make for an even more powerful experience. We are very fortunate to have such a gifted team working on this project; they really came together to make “We Are Strong Together” the perfect theme song for fans of the GENERALI CEE Cup here in Prague and around the world.”
The team that Mr. De Blasio speaks of is an impressive group of professionals in both the sport and music worlds. It includes seasoned composer, Zdenek Beran, singers Gabriela Urbankova and Michael Vi, bassist Filip Benesovsky, song-writer Jarmila Chromokova and players from the Sparta and Slavia Praha football clubs, as well as famed American vocal talent, Tonya Graves.
“When they asked me if I would like to participate in this project, I was happy to do so” said Ms. Graves. “And the fact that the proceeds from the sale of the CD will go to building schools really sealed the deal.”
The 3 minute song features lead and backup vocals in English, with a rap performed by players from Slavia and Sparta football clubs. The composer, Zdenek Beran, personally recorded and produced all of the vocals and instruments.
Speaking about the production of the song, Mr. Beran commented:
“Working with this group was truly a pleasure. It always makes my job so much easier when people are passionate about a project, and Roberto definitely had that in spades. If the 2014 GENERALI CEE Cup is looking for a new theme song, I would certainly want to be a part of that.”
The production team all agrees that one of the most memorable moments in the studio was watching the boys from Sparta and Slavia Praha perform the rap. This can now be seen on the video that has been produced to go with the song.
“I don’t know how many ‘takes’ is normal, but it sure felt like we did a lot!” said Mario Holek, one of the rappers from Sparta Praha. “It was great fun for all of us to be so far out of our element. I’m not sure that all of us could have fall-back careers in the music industry, but I do think that there are a few ‘potentials’ there!”
For the second year in a row, the GENERALI CEE Cup will be donating proceeds to UNICEF’s Schools for Africa project. Schools for Africa has just recently finished a very successful Phase II of its initiative, raising $70 million to benefit millions of children in 11 African countries. The GENERALI CEE Cup joins other big names in lending its support, such as Serena Williams, GUCCI and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Speaking about the tournament and the cause, Pavla Gomba, Director of UNICEF in the CR, said:
“We are delighted that the GENERALI CEE Cup will again support UNICEF projects this year as we believe that sport and education go hand-in-hand in helping to develop strong, healthy communities. It is quite inspiring to see kids in the Czech Republic participating in a game that helps kids half a world away.”
The first 1,500 people who buy tickets to the Grand Final will receive a complimentary copy of “We Are Strong Together”, and additional copies will be available for purchase from the 16th July at the special UNICEF stand at the I.P. Pavlova metro station. The week long tournament will begin on the 24th of July, and the final game of the GENERALI CEE Cup will be broadcast on 31st July on TV Eurosport.
For more information on the GENERALI CEE Cup, or to purchase tickets, go to www.ceecup.eu. To learn more about the Schools for Africa project, please visit www.schoolsforafrica.org.
