Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Region: Fiji

Cobi Jones

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  Burma
  • 2014  –  Brazil
  • 2015  –  Tonga
  • 2015  –  Fiji
  • 2021  –  Virtual

Cobi Jones is a Southern California sports legend, maintaining the title of the longest standing member of the LA Galaxy dynasty. LA’s “Original Cobi,” spent 15 seasons with the Galaxy, as both a player and coach from 1996 – 2010. A 2011 US Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, Cobi is a two-time MLS Cup winner (2002, 2005) with a storied international career with the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team. A permanent fixture with the team from 1992- 2004, he played in three World Cups (1994, 1998, 2002) and has the most international appearances for the Men’s side with 164 caps. He is also a 1992 Olympian. Prior to his MLS career, Cobi played overseas with Coventry City (English Premier League) and the Brazilian side, Vasco de Gama.

Today, Cobi is one of the sport’s preeminent broadcasters working with FOX Sports, where he was part of both the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup broadcast teams, both as a game analyst (2018) and co-hosting World Cup Tonight (2018-2019). He is the lead English language analyst for Fox’s coverage of Liga MX, Mexico’s top professional soccer league. He has also covered the Bundesliga, US Men’s National Team games, CONCACAF Champions League, the Gold Cup, and various FIFA tournaments for Fox. Cobi has been in the booth as the color commentator calling the LA Galaxy matches since 2012 for Spectrum SportsNet (formerly Time Warner Cable), Pac-12 Network, BeIn Sports, Next VR and he was also part of the 2012 NBC Olympic coverage.

A UCLA Hall of Famer and 1990 NCAA Champion with the Bruins, Cobi works closely with the LA2028 Olympic Committee, The Rose Bowl Institute, the LA84 Foundation, Cal South, AYSO, the US Soccer Foundation, and others. He represented the White House as part of the Presidential Delegation, attending both the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final in Canada and the 2014 FIFA Men’s World Cup Final in Brazil. He is also consistently part of the US State Department’s Sports Envoy.

In the Fall of 2020, it was announced that Cobi joined the esteemed ranks as one of the founding investor owners of the NWSL’s newest team, Angel City FC, brining women’s professional soccer to Los Angeles. Cobi joins sports greats Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Serena Williams, actresses Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner, America Ferrara and other notable names as part of the ownership group that is moving the needle for parity and equality in sports.

In an effort to work toward racial equality, improve the gender pay gap and continue to help elevate American soccer on a global level, Cobi will work with US Soccer and the US Soccer Foundation to bring his passion and commitment to the beautiful game to another level.

Tracy Noonan

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Guatemala
  • 2013  –  Costa Rica
  • 2014  –  Tonga
  • 2016  –  Fiji
  • 2016  –  Nepal

A potent combination of talent and tenacity carried Tracy Noonan (formerly Ducar) to the top of the women’s soccer world. Her list of accomplishments includes a 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship with the United States women’s national team and three NCAA championships with the powerhouse North Carolina Tar Heels. She also was a founding member of the Women’s United Soccer Association, backstopping a Boston Breakers team that included USA and international stars Kristine Lilly, Kate Sobrero Markgraf, Maren Meinert (Germany) and Dagny Mellgren (Norway).

Not bad for a player whose career was almost derailed by a broken back suffered during a high school basketball game.

Since retiring as an active player, Tracy has devoted herself to teaching and coaching, and was head soccer coach at Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC before deciding to devote herself full-time to Dynasty Goalkeeping.

Career Highlights:
3-time NCAA champion at the University of North Carolina (1991-95)
U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper (1996-99)
Alternate on the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer Team
1999 Women’s World Cup Team
Founding member of the WUSA and goalkeeper for the Boston Breakers (2001-03)
Winner of the Boston Breakers Shield Award (2001)
Member of the New England Women’s Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 2001)
Goalkeeper coach at UNC-Greensboro (1998-99)
Head Soccer Coach at Greensboro College (2004-05)

Jesse Lovejoy

STEAM

Served as envoy

  • 2019  –  Fiji
  • 2021  –  Virtual

Jesse Lovejoy is the director of 49ers EDU & the San Francisco 49ers Museum. He is also the managing partner of EDU Academy. Lovejoy joined the 49ers in August 2013, when he was brought on to envision and implement educational and community programming for the 49ers, and develop the content of and operating structure/plan for the 49ers Museum.

While spearheading the 2014 launch of the Museum—a 20,000 square foot facility featuring 11 unique gallery and exhibit spaces exclusively dedicated to the 49ers past, present and future—Lovejoy concurrently led the 49ers into a domain where no professional sports organization had ventured before, a comprehensive STEAM Education Program for students in grades K-8, completely free to the end-user. In 2017, as inbound interest in the 49ers STEAM efforts continued to rise, Lovejoy formed and launched EDU Academy, a consulting arm which helps organizations envision, build and launch education programs.

Lovejoy sits on the board of governors for the International Sports Heritage Association, the education committee for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and the corporate council for the National Association for Gifted Children. He was named as one of Silicon Valley’s 40 most influential people under 40 years of age in 2016 by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, and one of SportTechie’s “20 Innovators” in 2017.

Before he joined the 49ers, Lovejoy was director of community relations and marketing for the San Diego Sports Commission/San Diego Hall of Champions where he served as a brand champion for community relations initiatives, awards programs, and educational opportunities for nearly three years.

Prior to his role with the San Diego Hall of Champions, Lovejoy served as a substitute teacher for the Catholic Diocese in San Diego and then as an English teacher at a language academy before taking the Hall of Champions position.

Lovejoy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from San Diego State University-California State University.

Danielle Scott-Arruda

Volleyball

Served as envoy

  • 2019  –  Fiji
  • 2021  –  United Arab Emirates

Danielle was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is a single mother of her daughter Juliánne. She attended the University of California at Long Beach and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Sociology. After competing in five Olympic Games, she became the USA Indoor Volleyball Olympic appearance record holder, Danielle has now touched and inspired thousands of boys and girls, women and men, teams and corporations around the nation by sharing the same methods she used to win two silver Olympic medals, and become inducted in multiple Halls of Fame. Danielle is also a crusader for financial literacy and helping families make and save money. She has spoken at women’s leadership conferences, empowering girls programs, schools, churches, athletic events and fundraisers. Since 2014, Danielle has been working with USA Volleyball’s High Performance Program.