WHEELING, Ill., June 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Valspar Corporation, a global leader in the paint and coatings industry, today announced it has become a major sponsor of the US Open and the US Open Series. This marks the first comprehensive sports partnership for Valspar, as well as a new business category for the sport of tennis. The new arrangement coincides with the launch of Valspar's new consumer paint brand, and will include a full summer-long fan competition, "The Valspar Paint Performance Challenge," which culminates with an opportunity to compete with the pros at Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, the annual youth tennis and entertainment festival that kicks-off the US Open.
The centerpiece of Valspar's new partnership is the "Valspar Paint Performance Challenge," a tennis skills challenge for fans that launches with U.S. Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe on June 11th in New York City. Between the hour of 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on June 11th, 51st Street (between 6th and 7th Avenue) will close and McEnroe will demonstrate the Challenge for admiring fans by testing his own hitting accuracy and showcasing how the challenge is done. Valspar's Paint Performance Challenge is part of a USTA event being held at Radio City Music Hall to promote the launch of ticket sales for the 2007 US Open.
The kick-off for fans to participate in the Valspar Paint Performance Challenge begins on July 21st during the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles, CA, which is the first of eight US Open Series events where fans can sign up to compete. During each Challenge, contestants will test their hitting accuracy through a series of on-court targets and will have 60 seconds to hit as many targets as possible -- 30 seconds for forehand shots and 30 seconds for backhand. The winners from each market will then be flown to New York to compete in a national playoff at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The Challenge culminates with the overall winner having the opportunity to compete with the tennis pros during the Arthur Ashe Kids' Day Stadium Show, which will be broadcast on CBS on August 26th.
"Valspar is looking forward to connecting directly with tennis fans through our Paint Performance Challenge and other partnership activities with the USTA leading up to the US Open," said Gary Hendrickson, Senior Vice President, Valspar. "Tennis was a natural fit for us since it is a sport that blends performance and beauty and we've been doing that with our products for over 200 years at Valspar. It's also unique because it allows us to reach a broader audience since men and women watch and play tennis together."
Fans can sign up to participate in the Valspar Paint Performance Challenge at http://www.valspartennis.com/ or onsite at any of the eight US Open Series Events listed below:
Countrywide Classic (Los Angeles, CA) 7/16 - 7/22
Valspar Paint Performance Challenge: 7/21
Indianapolis Tennis Championships, Indianapolis IN) 7/23 - 7/29
Valspar Paint Performance Challenge: 7/25
Bank of the West Classic (Stanford, CA) 7/23 - 7/29
Valspar Paint Performance Challenge: 7/28
Acura Classic (San Diego, CA) 7/30 - 8/5
Valspar Paint Performance Challenge: 8/4
Rogers Masters (Montreal, Canada) 8/6 - 8/12
Valspar Paint Performance Challenge: 8/9
Rogers Cup (Toronto, Canada) 8/13 - 8/19
Valspar Paint Performance Challenge: 8/14
W&S Financial Masters (Cincinnati, OH) 8/13 - 8/19
Valspar Paint Performance Challenge: 8/17
Pilot Pen Tennis (New Haven, CT) 8/19 - 8/25
Valspar Paint Performance Challenge: 8/24
The US Open Series brings together the ten summer tournaments in North America, three television networks, tennis' sanctioning bodies and top corporate sponsors during the summer tennis season. Since its launch in 2004, the US Open Series has doubled television viewership of tennis, increased total event attendance and contributed to the growing popularity of the sport. The US Open Series has served as an incubator of innovation for the sport, with the introduction of instant replay technology, blue courts, bonus US Open Prize money as well as adding more national TV hours, including live back-to-back Finals every Sunday.
The US Open is the highest annually attended sporting event in the world with more than 640,000 fans attending last year. More than 95 million viewers watched the 2006 US Open on CBS Sports and USA Network, and international broadcasts reached 180 countries.
Since 1806, Valspar, a global leader in the paint and coatings industry, has been dedicated to bringing customers the latest innovations, the finest quality, and the best customer service. The Valspar Corporation aims to make the entire paint process -- from inspiration to application -- easier for consumers. Valspar offers premium-quality interior and exterior paints that blend beauty and durability in a palette of more than 3,000 colors. For more information on Valspar Corporation , visit http://www.valsparglobal.com/.
