Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to sponsor Get Fit 3v3 Soccer Challenge for children

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Nevada is proud to announce the first annual "Get Fit 3v3 Soccer Challenge" on Sunday, Feb. 13 at the Desert Breeze Soccer Complex – South Fields. The soccer challenge is designed to encourage kids ages 7 to 14 to become physically active and empower them to make healthy lifestyle choices now and in the future.

3v3 Soccer means more touches on the ball than a full soccer game, amping up the action for a higher scoring game. This style of soccer gets every player on the field engaged and appeals to everyone from first-timer players to soccer champs.

The Get Fit 3v3 Soccer Challenge is designed to encourage active and healthy lifestyles for children in a fun way.  According to the 2009 "F as in Fat" report by Trust for America's Health, more than 1 in three children (10 to 17 years old) in Nevada are either overweight or obese.

"The Get Fit 3v3 Soccer Challenge is a great way to get kids excited about physical activity," said Mike Murphy, Anthem's Nevada president.  "If we can prevent the current generation of young people from developing the serious and chronic conditions related to obesity, we can not only improve their health and quality of life but we can start to cut into the estimated $78.5 billion spent each year on overweight and obesity-related medical expenses."

Anthem teamed with Las Vegas' Neusport Football Club for the Get Fit 3v3 Soccer Challenge. Neusport is a non-profit youth soccer organization that's one of only 46 Nike Premier Clubs in the USA. Neusport is the #1 ranked club in Nevada by GotSoccer.com and is home to more than 50 boys and girls teams of all ages.

"The Get Fit Soccer Challenge was the perfect fit for Neusport because we focus on helping all of our athletes reach their full potential both on the field and off," said Eddie Henderson, technical director at Neusport. "Making healthy lifestyle choices is a key part of that."

The Get Fit 3v3 Soccer Challenge will feature up to 160 teams with a maximum of six players on the roster.  Each team is guaranteed three games, which last 24 minutes (with 12-minute halves).