Game Telecast Branded as "Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football"

February 26, 2007 -- Russell Athletic and ESPN announced today Russell Athletic will sponsor Arena Football for the next 5 years starting this season on all regular and post season telecasts on ESPN networks and ABC. The official title of the telecast will be Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football, which debuts with a pair of ABC regional telecasts on Sunday, March 4 at 12:30 p.m. ET -- Dallas Desperados at New York Dragons and Chicago Rush at Kansas City Brigade.

"Not only will you hear the Russell name during AFL telecasts, you'll see this exciting league's talented players wearing our uniforms," said Doug Kelly, President of Russell Athletic. "This unique 5-year naming rights entitlement agreement with ESPN is a natural extension of our strong commitment to the AFL."

Russell Athletic will be exclusive uniform provider for the league and will debut its innovative performance technology, the Xtreme Compression (XC) jersey, during the March 4th season openers for the Los Angeles Avengers and Dallas Desperados. The state-of-the-art XC jersey includes compression fit material that is difficult to grab, ventilator technology to accelerate body cooling, Dri-Power® technology to wick moisture away from the body, and Anti-Microbial technology to help eliminate odor.

Russell Athletic will be the exclusive athletic apparel retailer and will also entitle a special one-hour AFL season preview show on ESPN2 Tuesday, February 27 at 7 p.m., as well as a playoff preview show on ESPN2 Friday, June 29 at 7 p.m..

The Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football Preview Show will feature ESPN's AFL commentators Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic and Merril Hoge with guest appearances by Philadelphia Soul President Ron Jaworski and team owners Jon Bon Jovi (Philadelphia), Mike Ditka (Chicago) and John Elway (Colorado). The program will take a look back at ArenaBowl XX and some of the top plays in league history and breakdown the upcoming season.

by Dave Rahme, Staff WriterThe Syracuse Post-StandardSunday, February 25, 2007

The roads could be iffy, especially for those traveling south from Central New York, and an early season upset will offer fair-weather college lacrosse fans an excuse to decline. Yet, there is no denying the truth of this statement: The best Division I action of the regular season will take place Saturday in Baltimore, and you are invited to attend.

The folks at Inside Lacrosse have put together a first-of-its-kind doubleheader - billed the Face-Off Classic - featuring Johns Hopkins vs. Princeton at noon followed by Syracuse vs. Virginia at M&T Bank Stadium, which will later be the site of national championship weekend. The four teams have combined to win the last 15 D-I national titles and 19 of the last 20, an amazing run interrupted only by North Carolina in 1991.

To put that in perspective, the last time a team other than the big four was crowned champ, Bill Clinton had yet to take office, Donovan McNabb was still playing high school football in the suburbs of Chicago and Carmelo Anthony was celebrating his seventh birthday.

"If you look at it closely, parity really hasn't hit our sport yet until that last weekend of the season," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said.

Starsia's Cavaliers, who went 18-0 last season en route to the title, then went out and got stunned at home by Drexel, picked to finish fifth in the seven-team Colonial Athletic Association, in the season opener. Upsets aside, Starsia is right. Until somebody goes out and proves it on Memorial Day, the big four will retain their stranglehold on the sport.

To have an opportunity to see all four of them on the same day at the same venue during the regular season should be hard for dedicated fans to resist. Starsia said the powers at Inside Lacrosse simply looked at the schedule, which always features Hopkins-Princeton and SU-Virginia on the same weekend, and the record attendance figures at each of the last three final fours and put two and two together.

"It has always been a unique weekend in that those two games are on the same day," Starsia said. "I've always been looking over my shoulder at the other game. Now, all the pieces have come together, and we have a rare opportunity for college lacrosse fans to see these four teams on one day in a pro setting (M&T is home to the NFL's Baltimore Ravens)."

Sacrifices have been made to make the day a big one and perhaps an annual showcase. SU and Princeton gave up home games in order to participate, no small concession when considering the quality of the competition. But Starsia said his team also yielded.

"My team was not that happy about not going to the Carrier Dome," he said. "We love the atmosphere there, the knowledge of the fans and how they get into the game. And let's face it: The Dome was the safest place for us to be playing on March 3. We're giving up the best site for an outdoor venue."

Starsia said the benefits of getting the sport's ruling class together for one afternoon of quality lacrosse outweigh the sacrifices. So far, more than 12,000 fans agree and have purchased tickets.

If you want to join them, go to www.faceoffclassic.com to find the most convenient way to order tickets, which cost $15 for reserved lower-level seats and $25 for club-level seats (groups of 10 or more can get tickets for $10 each). Or you can call M&T at (410) 261-7283. SU fans who want to sit together should request section 153.

"I think if we have a decent day we're going to have a heck of a crowd," Starsia said.

Attracting more soccer tourneys to Phoenix is goal

by Jourdan RassásThe Arizona RepublicFeb. 21, 2007 12:00 AM

Luke Mulholland, 18, said he has played soccer his entire life. Although this trip was his third to Phoenix from Preston, England, to play soccer, there was something different about this tournament. It would be the first to be played at Reach 11.

A rainbow of balloons swayed in the breeze at the entrance to one of the Reach 11 soccer fields Friday, welcoming people of all ages to the grand opening of what will be the largest single-site sports complex in Arizona, at 2425 E. Deer Valley Road.

More than 200 people attended the ceremonies, featuring Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Olympic gold medalist Shannon MacMillan and Eric Wynalda, the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. men's team.

The ceremony was to mark the opening of the first of the two-phase project, which included 10 lighted soccer fields, including one synthetic turf system from Sportexe, two playground areas and 1,200 parking spaces.

The second phase will add 10 lighted fields, a proposed all-weather running track and, with the necessary funding, a 4,000-seat stadium.

District 2 Councilwoman Peggy Neely said she hopes the sports complex will bring more soccer tournaments to the Valley and be used as a site for Super Bowl-related activities.

"I see the community coming out and rallying their heroes," Neely said.

MacMillan said Reach 11 and those who contributed to the opening of the park are "enhancing the next generation."

"I'm in the coaching world now, so hopefully I'll be out here coaching one day," she said.

SC del Sol youth soccer club and teams from Maryland, Virginia and England competed in a soccer tournament at the complex in the evening.

Mulholland said he was looking forward to playing on the field because of its synthetic grass surface, which he says is easier on players' feet than the grass fields he usually plays on.

Tobin Shanks, 6, said he thought the field was different from others he has played on in the three years he has been involved in soccer.

"It's (Reach 11) good," said Shanks, of Scottsdale, kicking around a soccer ball.

Wynalda said Reach 11 is a "glimmering example of what can be accomplished. These little guys are smiling, holding their balls and waiting for us to stop talking so they can get out and play."

Play as Your Favorite AFL or af2 Team

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., February 20, 2007 - Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that Arena Football™: Road to Glory, the only arena football game available to fans of the extreme action sport has shipped to retail stores. Arena Football: Road to Glory brings to life the excitement and experience of hard-hitting, high-scoring intensity of 50-yard goal line-to-goal line battles. The game, under the EA SPORTS™ brand, is available on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and will be in stores on February 22, 2007.

From the af2 to the AFL, including classic historical squads, more than 80 teams will be made available in Arena Football: Road to Glory and for the first time, fans can play as their favorite af2 franchise. In addition, players can take the af2 circuit by storm by winning the ArenaCup then export their players into the AFL and set their sights on an ArenaBowl championship. In Arena Football: Road to Glory, the player will have Total Offense Control. They can now pick apart defenders with their star receiver, while using the right analog stick to help the quarterback find passing lanes and avoid the rush.

"This is a great vehicle to promote our entire league," said Doug MacGregor, President of the AFL's Austin Wranglers. "We were pleased with the first AFL game released by EA Sports last year, and we are thrilled with the possibilities of this new game."

Arena Football: Road to Glory is rated "E10+" (Everyone 10 and older) by the ESRB and has an MSRP of $29.99 for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. The game's official website is www.easports.com/afl2.

Sportexe is the official turf provider for both af2 and the AFL.

ROUND ROCK, Texas. Feb. 16, 2007 - The first phase of the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix celebrates its grand opening today in what will eventually be the largest single-site sports complex in the state. It has 10 lighted soccer fields, including one Sportexe synthetic turf system, two playgrounds and 1,200 parking spaces.

The Reach 11 Sports Complex is the first major soccer complex of its kind in Phoenix and will provide a venue for local, regional and national competitions.

The city of Phoenix funded $11.5 million of the $16 million project. The city's Streets Transportation Department, the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority and the Bureau of Reclamation combined to fund field lighting, surrounding street improvements and the other recreational elements.

In the 2006 Bond Election, Phoenix voters approved $12 million for Phase 2. When completed the second phase of the complex will add 10 more soccer fields and, with the necessary funding, a 4,000-seat stadium and an all-weather running track.

"It is time and money well spent to build soccer facilities for the city," said Craig Edwards, Sportexe Southwest Projects Representative. "The entire Phoenix community should be very excited about this complex."

Sportexe recently received the first FIFA RECOMMENDED 2-Star rating in North America with its installation at Ottawa, Ontario's Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park, which gives the facility World Cup soccer-hosting capability.

Phoenix's first Sportexe field, an all-rubber infill system that carries the industry's highest safety rating, was installed at Desert West Soccer Park in June, 2005.

In addition to a grand-opening ceremony, which included a ribbon-cutting by Mayor Phil Gordon, followed by teams from Maryland, Virginia, England and the SC del Sol youth soccer club.

Olympic gold medalist Shannon MacMillan and Eric Wynalda, the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. men's national team, were on hand at the grand opening.

"This is a very exciting time for us," said Peggy Neely, City of Phoenix District 2 Councilwoman. "This facility is just gorgeous, especially the Sportexe field and I am very proud to be associated with this state-of-the-art athletic complex."

Neely has championed this project to develop civic pride and exposure to attract larger national youth sporting events.

"Our soccer fields are very important for several reasons," said Neely. "The economic impact gained from hosting premier functions will greatly boost our financial growth and overall visibility, plus this will also give our youth a chance to showcase their talent and commitment to the soccer community."

ROUND ROCK, Texas. Feb. 16, 2007 - The Pro Football Hall of Fame will be unveiling its first-ever exhibit dedicated to chronicling the past, present and future of the Arena Football League on February 26. The AFL, which kicks off its 21st season on March 1 with 19 teams, is the nation's fastest growing sports league.

"The Arena Football League is a mature property that has experienced explosive growth in recent years," said Pro Football Hall of Fame President/Executive Director Steve Perry. "A true success story, the AFL has earned its place in pro football history and the Pro Football Hall of Fame."

Since 2002, the AFL's total viewership has increased from 12 million viewers to 65 million, its team values from $12 to $20 million and its average per game attendance from 9,957 to 12,378. When combined with arenafootball2, the AFL's minor league, Arena Football will be played in 49 markets in 2007.

"There are many milestones for a growing sports league but I can't think of one that is more meaningful for our league than an exhibit in the Pro Football Hall of Fame," said AFL Commissioner David Baker, who will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony at the Hall on Monday, February 19 with Perry.

The exhibit itself will feature both AFL historical and interactive elements that are designed to illustrate the league's fast-paced action. A large photomural of an AFL field will serve as the backdrop to a display that will feature a large video screen - which will play a continuous two-minute highlight loop - a display panel and two interactive touch screens that will host a variety of videos designed to communicate the league's past, present and future. The display will be built on real AFL turf provided by Sportexe and guests will be able to examine an official AFL football, jersey and helmet.

Sportexe, a global leader in the synthetic turf industry, is the official turf provider for the AFL and af2.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Wranglers Foundation, in conjunction with the Arena Football League's Austin Wranglers and Clear Channel Radio-Austin, announce the first annual Lone Star Arena Football Classic, which will take place on Friday, February 23, 2007, at 7 p.m. at the Frank Erwin, Jr. Special Events Center, played on Sportexe, even co-sponsor and official synthetic turf system provider for the AFL and af2. This new event celebrates football in Central Texas by gathering outstanding seniors from Capital Area high school football teams to participate in an Arena Football style all-star game.

"We are very appreciative of the rich football tradition in the Capital Area. It is important to honor all the individuals from the student athletes to the support staff as well as the avid supporters of high school football in this region," said Wranglers President Doug MacGregor. "We are excited that the Lone Star Arena Football Classic will give us an opportunity to pay tribute to what has become the lifeblood of our community."

There will be two teams of 30 players from the North and South (school districts from Georgetown to Seguin) with Westwood Head Coach Anthony Wood coaching the North and Lake Travis Head Coach Jeff Dicus coaching the South. Assisting these men will be Arena Football coaches from the various teams in Texas.

Players will be selected by the North and South coaches, AM1300 The Zone Sports Director and The Voice of Texas High School Football Craig Way, Sports Writer Rick Cantu and other media members. The game will be aired on the Austin Wranglers Flagship Radio Station, AM1300 The Zone, with Craig Way and Erin Hogan calling the action.

All tickets to the game are general admission for $10 and can be purchased by telephone at 512.339.3939, at the Wranglers Box Office located at 2209 W. Braker Lane and throughout the community.

Proceeds from the Lone Star Arena Football Classic will be donated to the Austin Wranglers Foundation for purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) for the Capital Area schools that are participating in the game. In addition, Westlake High School senior Matt Nader, whose life was saved on the football field with a defibrillator earlier this fall, will take part in the game's coin toss.

"Providing financial assistance for defibrillators will ensure the continued health and well-being of our community's student athletes as AED's have proved to be so critical in saving lives in the Capital Area during the recent months, " said MacGregor.

The game will include all of the excitement of Arena Football games including pyrotechnics during player introductions and the participation of select high school bands, cheerleaders, and mascots. At halftime, the 2007 Austin Wranglers players and coaches will be introduced. Following the game, the high school all-stars along with the Wranglers players, will be on the field for a post-game autograph session.

The winner of the North-South match-up will receive a commemorative trophy and a most valuable player will be selected. All players and coaches will keep their jerseys and apparel to represent their accomplishments throughout their high school football careers.

Montreal. Feb.14, 2007 - BC Lions GM and head coach Wally Buono, the 2006 Sportexe CFL Coach of the Year, has been named as the CFL's Coach of the Year for the third time in his coaching career by 46 voting members of the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC). Buono received 34 votes in winning the award which recognizes the commitment and efforts of head coaches across the league, with special honours going to the coach who most demonstrates exceptional leadership, discipline and dedication to excellence during the regular season. Winnipeg's Doug Berry received eight votes while Toronto's Michael "Pinball" Clemons received two votes (Calgary's Tom Higgins, the 2003 Sportexe CFL winner, and former Saskatchewan head coach Danny Barrett received one vote each).

"This is a tremendous honor on a personal level and a recognition of the outstanding of our entire coaching staff," said Buono. "The CFL Outstanding Player Awards, the all-star sections, the Grey Cup championship and this award certainly indicate that we enjoyed a lot of success in 2006 and we have set the bar pretty high for the season ahead."

The Buono-led Lions enjoyed one of the most dominating seasons in recent CFL history in 2006 racking up a 13-5 record during the regular season and then capping off the year with a 25-14 Grey Cup victory over the Montreal Alouettes in Winnipeg this past November. The championship was Buono's fourth as a head coach and his first since joining the Lions.

Highly-respected among coaching peers, Buono has amassed a regular season record of 201-103-2, putting him second only to Don Matthews in all-time CFL wins. His consistency and success have been recognized with the CFL's Coach of the Year award in 1992 and 1993.

As Buono prepares for his fifth season as the Leos' sideline boss he does so with 49 regular season wins for a .680 winning percentage and trails only Don Matthews (56) and Vic Rapp (53) in all-time wins as Lions head coach.

ROUND ROCK, Texas. Feb. 9, 2007 - Trey Henderson became the sixth straight Irish football player from Vancouver College, a prep school in British Columbia, to receive an NCAA Division I scholarship when he signed his national letter of intent with Southern California on Wednesday.

Henderson, coached by Sportexe Canadian High School Coach of the Year Todd Bernett, joins Peter Dyakowski, LSU (2002), Jon Conlin (2003) and Joe Eppele (2005), Washington State, and Shea Emry (2004) and Rob Nazarinia (2006), Eastern Washington.

"Trey has been a dedicated teammate and worker for our football program," said Bernett. "He will shine at the next level - physically and mentally. He is built for the college game."

Henderson will be the only Canadian on the Trojan roster, and no Canadian has ever played for USC previously. Henderson, a standout defensive lineman for the Irish during the past thee seasons, played on both sides of the ball at five different positions. As both a defensive tackle and defensive end, Henderson had 106 career tackles and 15 career sacks.

"He is a big and physical kid," said Nick Holt, Defensive Coordinator for USC. "He really caught our eye on film, and he proved he could play at our level with his performance at camp."

Former VC lineman Dyakowski, a senior offensive tackle for LSU, has been named to the ESPN.com All-Bowl Team, the website announced on Friday, Feb. 2.

Dyakowski played a key role in LSU's 41-14 win over the 11th-ranked Notre Dame in this season's Sugar Bowl. The Tigers rolled up a season-high 577 yards of total offense against the Irish. LSU had 245 yards rushing and 332 yards passing in the win.

Former Coach Named Sportexe Director of Lacrosse

Round Rock, TX, February 05, 2007 -- With more than four and a half years experience in the turf biz, Greensboro College's all-time winningest lacrosse head coach John Burke (1990-1995) has been named the Director of Lacrosse for Sportexe, a global leader in the synthetic turf industry.

Burke, the Western U.S. Sales Manager for Sportexe, will spearhead the lacrosse initiative after spending a majority of his career as both a player and coach within the sport. Burke followed his stint at Greensboro, where he captured two Deep South Lacrosse League titles, as an assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan University (1998-2000) and head coach at his alma mater Guilford College (2002-2004). He led Ohio Wesleyan to the NCAA quarterfinals two years in a row, including spending the entire regular season in 1998 ranked No. 1.

"I am proud to represent Sportexe for the sport of lacrosse," said Burke. "I feel that my 20 years of experience will give me an edge in providing an honest insight into synthetic turf for the sport. There are some great initiatives line up for 2007"

As a student-athlete, Burke played both football and basketball at Guilford and was selected as Best Senior Athlete in 1988. He also played in the North-South Senior Lacrosse All-Star game hosted at Johns Hopkins University.

"Sportexe prides itself on staffing sport-specific experts to help further establish our hold as an industry leader," said Sportexe CEO and President Mark Nicholls. "John Burke is a perfect example of this philosophy. He brings more than two decades of lacrosse experience to Sportexe which provides our clients unsurpassed levels of customer satisfaction with every job. We feel confident that John will further our already strong relationship within the lacrosse community."

Sportexe turf systems are designed to enhance performance and meet the rigorous requirements for the sport of lacrosse. Clients include National Lacrosse League members Toronto Rock, Calgary Roughnecks, Rochester Knighthawks Arizona Sting, San Jose Stealth, Minnesota Swarm, Philadelphia Wings, Colorado Mammoth, Portland Jax and Edmonton Rush. Other clients include 2005 NCAA Champion Johns Hopkins, 2006 #1 ranked Boys' Latin School of Maryland and University of Maryland-Baltimore County.