Cleveland City Stars News Release - www.clevelandcitystars.com

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

CLEVELAND, OH -- On April 12th and 13th at Byers Field in Parma, Ohio the Cleveland City Stars will host the First Annual City Stars Junior Cup tournament open to U-10 and U-12 boys and girls premier soccer teams while at the same time hosting the MLS Columbus Crew and another top US professional team.

The weekend will also feature a press conference to introduce the new Cleveland City Stars team and players, a special worship service on Sunday and several exciting guest appearances. This event is open to the public and will give soccer enthusiasts an opportunity to be part of a full weekend of soccer from the amateur youth level all the way to the elite professional competition of Major League Soccer.

More kids play soccer in the US than in any other country in the world with Cleveland being one of the largest soccer markets. The City Stars are putting together a grassroots effort to get the whole community involved and hoping at the same time to enlist a few new members into the Green Army, the City Stars faithful European style fan base.

The weekend will kick-off with Ohio’s best U-12 boys and girls playing an all-day tournament with the top two teams competing for the title during halftime of the evening’s pro match featuring Cleveland versus Columbus. The Cleveland City Stars had the biggest draw of any USL Second Division expansion team last year, so the kids will likely play in front of a capacity crowd at the 11,000 seat stadium.

Sunday’s schedule is fairly similar, with top U-10 boys and girls getting to challenge for tournament honors and the chance to play at halftime of the Cleveland City Stars versus another top soccer club yet to be announced.

The Crew and the City Stars have built a relationship over the past 18 months, sharing players and facing off against each other on several occasions.

The Stars have yet to best their "big brother" team but hope to give them another competitive match. In addition, on Sunday players from both teams will facilitate the chapel service including testimonies from both teams and an inspirational message by Dr. Aaron Tredway, the CCS Executive Director. All are welcome to attend and meet players.

Youth Teams that participate in the tournament will receive weekend passes to all events and tickets have been priced to make this an affordable introduction to the world’s most popular sport. A one-day game pass is only $15 and for $20 anyone can enjoy all of the weekend’s activities. The special VIP Weekend Ticket is also available for $45 for the entire weekend. The full access weekend pass is free with purchase of CCS season tickets prior to April 1st. Tickets will be available starting next Wednesday, March 19th at 8 AM.

The Cleveland City Stars are preparing to return to the pitch after unprecedented success in their inaugural season.

"This season launch weekend embodies everything the City Stars stand for," commented Mark Geissbauer, CCS General Manager. "We want people to get involved in the game of soccer, as fans, as players, as coaches and as volunteers. Then we can begin to do something really exciting."

He continued, quoting the team’s mission statement, "Together we can serve the city and change the world."

Professional Friendlies Schedule
April 12 - Cleveland vs Columbus Crew (MLS) 7:00
April 13 - Cleveland vs TBA 5:00