DUBAI. November 28, 2006 - With more than 3,000 professionals and 250 exhibitors attending from more than 75 countries, Soccerex 2006 held its 10th annual convention in Dubai on Nov. 27-28th in front of the only global event dedicated to the professional business-to-business soccer environment.
As one of the top places for vendors to network and collaborate, Soccerex has seen increased growth over the past two years with more than $580 million worth of business signed off during the Soccerex 2004, rising to more than $680 million in 2005.
"As director of international business, it is my responsibility to introduce the Sportexe brands to the global market," said Charly Warren, director of international business for Sportexe. "What better place to do that than at Soccerex 2006."
Soccerex has become the only platform of its kind to give exhibitors and delegates the opportunity to network with suppliers, manufacturers and key buyers across the global industry in the world's biggest game.
Three facilities utilizing Sportexe synthetic turf systems were recently awarded FIFA RECOMMENDATIONS. Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, received a FIFA 2-Star RECOMMENDATION, the highest possible rating given by the world soccer governing body to fields that are designed to meet the specific playing characteristics of professional soccer. The facility was the first to receive the FIFA 2-Star in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).
CEGEP Stadium in Sept-Iles and the Dalbe Viau Secondary School in Lachine, both in Quebec, Canada, were awarded the FIFA 1-Star RECOMMENDATION for facilities designed for recreational, community and municipal use. All three facilities were required to adhere to a series of stringent laboratory and field tests before the highly respected FIFA certificates were issued.
"With the recent FIFA 1-Star designation on our PowerBlade product at CEGEP Stadium and Dalbe Viau, and the FIFA 2-Star designation on the BladeMaster product at Frank Clair, the natural environment to begin the globalization of Sportexe is with the Soccer community," said Warren. "Soccerex brings together the soccer community once a year to discuss issues facing the sport, showcase new products and to improve the overall soccer community."
Soccerex 2007 is moving to South Africa, hosted by Gauteng Province.
Ottawa, Canada. November 8, 2006 - Just one day before FIFA certified Frank Clair Stadium at Landsdowne Park in Ottawa the only FIFA recommended 2-Star field in North America, Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli announced on Oct. 24 a bold plan to construct 100 new soccer fields during the next four years as a legacy project of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2007.
In fact, Frank Clair Stadium is currently the only 2-Star rated field in the CONCACAF region, which not only includes North America, but also Central America and the Caribbean. Sportexe®, a global leader in the synthetic turf industry, provided its new BladeMaster® turf system which was installed by Defargo Sports Surfacing.
Chiarelli also declared soccer as the official sport of the city in 2007 as Ottawa is one of six Canadian cities to host the world championship event next June and July.
"Ottawa is thrilled to be the only city in North America to obtain a FIFA 2-Star rating," said Chiarelli. "We are working hard to make Frank Clair Stadium the best that it can be and that includes an elite new Sportexe playing surface that is enjoyed year round."
The incumbent mayor, who is in the midst of a tight mayoral election race, said the city already had plans to construct 40 new soccer fields by 2010 and the funding could be available to catapult that total to 100. Chiarelli believes this is a health issue, citing statistics showing four out of five young people do not receive enough physical activity.
"Ottawa is going soccer crazy as the host of next years FIFA Under-20 World Cup," said Chiarelli. "I wanted to mark this exciting event by declaring soccer Ottawa's official sport in 2007 and I announced a plan to construct 100 new soccer fields throughout our great city."
Soccer fever has reached an all-time high in Ottawa with the excitement of the Frank Clair Stadium 2-Star refit and with the Canadian national team playing host to the world at Landsdowne Park. However local numbers showing 40,000 registered soccer association members compared to 30,000 registered hockey members prove that Ottawa has been a hotbed-in-the-making for Canadian soccermania.
Since ticket packages were made available on Saturday, July 15, over 350,000 seats (over 65 percent of the 520,000 target) have been sold throughout Canada for the world cup event.
FIFA officials have been so impressed with the mayor's initiative for future soccer development they have suggested that such bold steps could net Chiarelli nomination for FIFA's Fair Play award.
"You guys are lucky," said FIFA vice president Jack Warner, chairman of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup organizing committee, at a news conference at Frank Clair Stadium on Oct. 23. "Your mayor is saying 100 facilities for soccer . this is tremendous."
Other host venues for the Under-20 World Cup include Victoria, Burnaby, Edmonton, Montreal, and Toronto.
In 2005, the Louisiana Superdome's synthetic turf was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. In September 2006, Sportexe capped off a ten-month, multi-million dollar stadium renovation with the installation of a brand new Momentum surface at the facility.
This video showcases the installation of the new surface, and also outlines the basic steps involved in installing a synthetic surface for football.
Ottawa, Canada. November 6, 2006- Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa received the FIFA RECOMMENDED 2-Star rating for synthetic turf on Oct. 25 - a first for North America and a first for Sportexe. The Frank Clair Stadium is one of six locations that will host the Under-20 FIFA World Championships in 2007. Sportexe provided the synthetic turf system, which was installed by Defargo Sports Surfacing.
The new soccer field installed at Frank Clair Stadium, totaling 10,242 square meters (110,250 square feet), is the new BladeMaster™ by Sportexe which has passed the testing requirements to qualify for the FIFA 2-Star recommended surface - the latest generation of synthetic turf. The FIFA RECOMMENDED 2-STAR is the highest synthetic turf rating from FIFA and is issued to each facility after a battery of test by a FIFA approved testing agent. The dimensions of the field that will host a portion of the 2007 Under-20 FIFA World Championship matches are 64 meters (70 yards) wide by 100.5 meters (110 yards) in length. The BladeMaster turf system features MonoTech™ fiber, a monofilament fiber that provides all the similarities of natural turf. The BladeMaster system is a 100-percent rubber infill system that was designed to maximize speed and pace of play for the world's largest sport.
"We're very excited to have one of our fields be the first in North America to receive a FIFA 2-Star Recommendation," said Mark Nicholls, president and CEO of Sportexe. "It's rewarding to have reached this milestone in our progression towards innovative synthetic turf systems for the growing sport of soccer."
As of the 1st of November there are only 21 other FIFA 2-Star certified fields exist worldwide, with 20 in Europe and one in Africa.
According to the FIFA web site the FIFA RECOMMENDED 2 Star for synthetic turf is designed specifically to mirror the playing characteristics of professional soccer. FIFA final round competitions and top UEFA competitions have the FIFA RECOMMENDED 2 Star in their respective competition regulations. The FIFA RECOMMENDED 1 Star is mainly for recreational, community and municipal use. Both the FIFA RECOMMENDED 1 Star and 2 Star have to go through a series of stringent laboratory and field tests before the highly respected FIFA certificate is issued.
Currently the Sportexe Frank Clair Stadium field in Ottawa is the only FIFA 2-Star recommended field in North America and the entire CONCACAF region. CONCACAF consists of North and Central America as well as the Caribbean.
"We are absolutely thrilled," said Doug Moore, manager of Venture Properties for City of Ottawa's Real Properties Asset Management, which oversees Frank Clair Stadium. "This is huge for both the stadium and for the City of Ottawa, which is already a hotbed for soccer. It will be a boost for community.
"We have already received very positive feedback from local university teams that have used the field."
The Canadian Under-20 squad is looking to continue its recent success in world championship competition, which includes a quarter-final appearance in 2003, as it plays host for the series next summer. This will be Canada's eighth appearance after qualifying in 1979, 1985, 1987, 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2005.
Sportexe is committed to develop and design the world's best synthetic turf system for soccer and is proud to be part of this historic occasion.
Sportexenews.com offers news and information from Sportexe, a leader in surfacing products for the sports industry. Since their incorporation in 1989, Sportexe has been perfecting the finest details that go into making better, safer, and higher performing athletic surfaces.
To learn more about synthetic turf products and installation, please visit Sportexe's corporate website at Sportexe.com .
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