EPPING, N.H., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
WHAT: Seacoast United Soccer Club (SUSC) celebrates the opening
of the Nike All Conditions Field as well as three other state-of-the-art
FieldTurf fields made possible by the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and NikeGo.
The new synthetic grass field, made by FieldTurf, will be dedicated this
Sunday in a ceremony with U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Defender Cat
Whitehill who will join representatives from Nike, the U.S. Soccer
Foundation, and Seacoast United Soccer Club.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO )
SUSC (http://www.seacoastunited.org/), a Nike Premier Soccer Club, is home to
over 40 teams, 5,000 members, a 70,000 square foot indoor complex and
over 350,000 square feet of synthetic grass. The new FieldTurf
(http://www.fieldturf.com/) soccer field was made possible by an All Conditions
Field grant from the U.S. Soccer Foundation (http://www.ussoccerfoundation.org/)
and NikeGO (http://www.nikego.com/). The U.S. Soccer Foundation is the major
charitable arm of soccer in the U.S. NikeGO is Nike's signature U.S.
community affairs initiative and the company's long-term commitment to
getting kids more physically active.
WHEN: Sunday, August 6 3:00 p.m.
Nike All-Conditions Field Dedication Ceremony (Field 4)
Other events taking place at the complex:
10:00 a.m. USL U-20 North American Championships (U20 girls)
12:00 p.m. USL U-20 North American Championships (U20 boys)
2:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony for above games
3:00 p.m. Field Dedication
WHERE: Seacoast United Soccer Club -- Outdoor Facility
88 Shirkin Road
Epping, New Hampshire
VISUALS: The dedication ceremony will be highlighted by:
Cat Whitehill, U.S. National Women's Soccer Team Defender
Representatives from Seacoast United Soccer Club, Nike, the
U.S. Soccer Foundation
Paul Willis -- Seacoast United Soccer Club director
USL National Championship games (U20 girls and boys)
CONTACT: Morgan Shaw -- Nike, Inc. 212-328-3470 (office) or
917-331-4748 (cell)
Matt Sicchio -- U.S. Soccer Foundation 202-872-6656 (office)
or 703-862-6390 (cell)
Paul Willis -- Seacoast United Soccer Club 603-944-2569 (cell)
U.S. Women's National Team Star Cat Whitehill Joins Nike, U.S. Soccer
Foundation and Seacoast United to Dedicate New Soccer Fields
Seacoast United Soccer Complex Home to Four New World-Class FieldTurf Soccer
Fields That Will Serve More Than 10,000 Players Yearly
August 6, 2006 (Epping, NH) -- As part of a 5-year, $5 million commitment to provide 50 world-class soccer field-building grants to communities across the United States, Nike and the U.S. Soccer Foundation joined Seacoast United Soccer Club to celebrate the opening of the Nike All Conditions Field and three other state-of-the art FieldTurf fields today. U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Defender Cat Whitehill was on hand to congratulate the club and join the special dedication ceremony at the Seacoast United Soccer Complex. With today's dedication, Nike and the U.S. Soccer Foundation have now supported 13 new All Conditions Fields as part of their partnership, which began in 2003 to promote the growth of youth soccer and provide kids with more places to play.
"I am thrilled to join Nike, the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and Seacoast United to help celebrate the opening of this wonderful facility," said Cat Whitehill, a defender for the U.S. Women's National Team, World Cup veteran, and Olympic gold medalist. "These fields will open up amazing opportunities for young players to pursue their soccer dreams and will hopefully inspire them to continue playing and enjoying the beautiful game."
Seacoast United Soccer Club (SUSC) was founded by director Paul Willis in 1992 to advance the physical and social wellbeing of kids and adults through competitive soccer. With over 40 teams, more than 5,000 members, a 70,000 square foot indoor soccer facility, and the new four-field outdoor soccer complex representing more than 350,000 square feet of synthetic grass, this Nike Premier Soccer Club has become a competitive soccer powerhouse and a model of success for other soccer clubs nationwide. The new SUSC Complex allows the club to build on the success of its indoor facility and offer even more opportunities to the local, regional, and national soccer community. The Club's new complex is hosting USL U-20 North American Championships this week, and will host the New Hampshire Special Olympics, several holiday tournaments, high school and college jamborees, a Manchester United Camp, and more.
"With the support of the U.S. Soccer Foundation, Nike and the dedicated efforts of the Seacoast United Soccer Club, we have accomplished something that will benefit soccer players in our community and region for many years to come," said Willis. "It is imperative to understand what an obstacle the weather can be in this region. With the addition of four All Conditions Fields, these obstacles are now largely a thing of the past."
Seacoast United received $200,000 in Grants through the U.S. Soccer Foundation's All Conditions Fields Program, which is a joint initiative with NikeGO to make a positive difference in communities by supporting construction of state-of-the-art soccer fields. In addition to the Grants, as a Foundation Grantee Seacoast United received access to products, services, and expertise at discounted pricing from industry leaders FieldTurf, Kwik Goal, Musco Sports Lighting, and TGI Systems.
"Through the partnership with the U.S. Soccer Foundation and NikeGO, our goal is to support youth soccer and highlight the benefits of physical activity for young athletes of all abilities through the game of soccer. Seacoast United epitomizes a Premier Nike Soccer Club and by installing this state of the art complex, we are giving these kids a better place to play," said Joe Elsmore, Nike's Director of U.S. Soccer Sports Marketing.
"Our All Conditions Fields Program is about creating opportunities for more children to play and enjoy the game of soccer," said Matt Sicchio, Director of Corporate Partnerships and Legal Affairs for the Foundation. "We are proud to support Seacoast United in bringing more playing opportunities to the New Hampshire and New England soccer communities, and we applaud the extraordinary efforts of Paul Willis and his team in making this soccer complex a reality."
Seacoast United Soccer Club
Soccer isn't just a game; it's a way of life. For Seacoast United, that passion among its directors, players, and fans has turned this small NH soccer club into one of the most successful, non-profit athletic organizations in the region. Seacoast United serves anyone in the community with an interest in soccer. In addition to 40 competitive soccer teams, the club runs summer camps, grassroots programs, academies and recreational leagues for soccer fanatics from ages 3 to 60. For more information, visit http://www.seacoastunited.org/.
United States Soccer Foundation
The U.S. Soccer Foundation was established in 1994 to manage the surplus funds generated by the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the United States. As the major charitable arm of soccer in the U.S., the Foundation has invested more than $40 million in the game, supporting hundreds of projects and touching every state in the country over the last decade. The Foundation provides grants focused on developing players, coaches and referees and building or enhancing fields and soccer complexes, with a special emphasis on economically disadvantaged youth in urban communities. For more information, or to donate online, please visit ussoccerfoundation.org.
NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; NIKE Bauer Hockey, Inc., a leading designer and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, a leading designer and marketer of luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic footwear and apparel for the value retail channel.
Nike's commitment to youth soccer and the sport as a whole reaches across innumerable boundaries to promote the beautiful game. With a world focus on women's soccer this year in Beijing, Nike continues to promote the concept of Joga Bonito ("Play Beautiful" in Portuguese) which represents the evolution of an impassioned, creative style of play that places importance on heart, honor, joy, skill and team. These codes of honor are those that Nike aims to instill in athletes of all ages.
NikeGO
NikeGO is Nike's signature U.S. community affairs initiative and the company's long-term commitment to getting kids more physically active. The program's mission is to increase physical activity by youth, offering them the support, motivation and a means to become physically active, stay healthy and have fun. To that end, Nike created NikeGO Places -- an inspirational program to provide more places for kids to play by taking old, worn-out athletic shoes and other footwear materials, grinding them up into a material called Nike Grind, and using that in the manufacture of high quality sports and play surfaces. Through grant making programs NikeGO Places also bring some of these surfaces to underserved communities, thus giving kids the means to get active. Since 1993, Nike has contributed to more than 200 NikeGO Places around the world. For more information visit NikeGO.com.
FieldTurf
For many years, Nike and the U.S. Soccer Foundation have had strategic alliances with FieldTurf, a leading innovator of synthetic grass surfaces. FieldTurf's high-performance synthetic grass incorporates Nike Grind material recycled from footwear manufacturing to help elite athletes and active kids to play their best game. FieldTurf emulates real grass using a smooth, coated fiber, an open-weave system that contains a combination of Nike Grind and other rubber material and sand infill. FieldTurf, which received the first FIFA Certification for a synthetic grass surface in 2001, is the U.S. Soccer Foundation's National Partner for Synthetic Grass Soccer Field Surfaces. For more information visit http://www.fieldturf.com/.
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