ORLANDO, Fla. — As demonstrators around Central Florida band together today to protest the death of George Floyd in different ways, a new group is coming together to show support as a community. 

Dozens of youth coaches from around the Orlando area turned out to Lake Eola Saturday morning to spread a message of family and love from the sports community. 

“One Family, One Heartbeat” was the message coaches wanted to spread as they walked Lake Eola, hoping to set sports teams and rivalries aside and come together at a time when so much of our nation is divided.

“We’re all in this together,” said Jamarcus Allen, a Conway Falcons Youth Football Coach. 

As much of the country remains divided following the death of George Floyd, coaches from different schools in central Florida are coming together Saturday morning in a message of unity from the sports community. 

“It just shows you, outside of the battlefield we can fight a different battle together if we just put our minds together,” said Orlando Christian Prep Head Coach Guerschom Demosthenes. 

The sports world has found a way to overcome racial differences many times before. Coaches familiar with seeing it play out on films now hoping it will bridge the divide happening nationwide.

“I probably couldn’t call them all out but where they’ve shown people overcoming racial differences through sports and sports has a unique platform to be able to do that,” said Christie Thompson, a strength and conditioning coach at Foundation Academy. “People are tired, you know, it is, enough is enough and things need to change. We want that change and I think a lot of people are coming together.”