Visa Inc. this weekend will host a session in Phoenix around its FIFA World Cup-branded Financial Soccer educational video game to help improve financial literacy among teens, Jason Alderman, Visa senior director of financial education, tells PaymentsSource.
The session, which will include an appearance by Mexican soccer star Claudio Suarez, is part of a daylong event for high school students called Ready To Lead. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, a nonprofit group that does educational programming for the Hispanic community, is sponsoring the event.
Using a native, Spanish-speaking celebrity was important to reach the Hispanic youth market, Alderman says.
“The real goal is to get the students excited about financial education, which can be a deadly dull subject,” he says, noting the use of a Latino soccer player can connect with the passion that many American Latinos have for soccer. “The kids forget they are learning–they get excited about picking the right annual percentage rate in the game.”
Suarez also can help establish trust as a Visa spokesperson to the Hispanic community, says Alderman. Trust is important, he says, citing the difficulty in getting consumers to take time to master a “scary” subject like credit cards and personal finance.
“People do trust Visa, but there is added trust [from using a Latino celebrity] that drives people to action,” Alderman says. “When we work with these athletes, when they step up and say they also believe in financial education, it lends credibility, and that transfers to our programs.”
Suarez will share his experiences with personal finance. He also will coach one group of students. U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., is expected to coach the other team, says Alderman. Pastor is from a Hispanic family and was the first member of his family to attend college.
Visa introduced the Financial Soccer game–part of Visa’s Practical Money Skills for Life financial-education program–with L.A. Galaxy player Landon Donovan in March. Since then, Visa has released the game in 25 countries. The card brand uses well-known soccer players in each country to promote the game, says Alderman.
