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FC Tampa Bay Rowdies To Play At George M. Steinbrenner Field

January 27, 2010 - North American Soccer League (NASL) - Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release


FC Tampa Bay Rowdies announced today that the 2010 inaugural season will be played at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The announcement was made at a press conference in which team owner Andrew Nestor also released the names of players who have been signed to the 2010 roster and released ticket sales information.

FC Tampa Bay will begin the 2010 season in mid-April at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the 31-acre facility that is home to the New York Yankees spring training and the Tampa Yankees. The stadium soccer set-up and seat manifest will contain approximately 10,000 seats, including the Tampa Tribune Deck and luxury suites. Season tickets can be reserved with a $50 deposit online at www.fctampabay.com.

FC Tampa Bay will start its full team training camp and preseason on March 1, 2010. The team will play five to six preseason games throughout the Tampa Bay area. Season ticket packages and group tickets will go on sale in February and single-game tickets will go on sale in March.

"We are excited about playing at Steinbrenner Field and being involved with the Yankees. They are truly the most successful American sports brand, as well as an organization rooted deeply in the Tampa Bay community," said Nestor. "The stadium is located at an optimal central location and the stadium fits our needs perfectly. We can't wait to start the season at Steinbrenner Field."

FC Tampa Bay also released the names of 13 players on the inaugural team roster, including three international players. Teams are allowed by US Soccer to have seven foreign players on the active roster. The international players are Jason Beardsley, Jeremy Christie and Adam Nowland. The domestic players also signed include Kwame "JJ" Adjeman-Pamboe, Dwight Barnett, Scott Buete, Yendry Diaz, Joe Donoho, Mozesh "Mozzi" Gyorio, Aaron King, Pascal Milien, John Raus and Graham Tatters.

Milien, a former University of Tampa (UT) player from Haiti, finished his college career at UT as the only player in NCAA Division II to be a back-to-back All-American. During his three years as a forward for the Spartans, Milien played in 57 games and scored 25 goals. His 79 points rank him ninth in UT's history. Milien ranks third in UT history for game winning goals (10), and second in career assists (29). Milien also helped lead UT to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2008.

"Its a historic day in the rebirth of professional soccer in Tampa," said head coach Paul Dalglish. "With the players we announced today we have a terrific base for a winning team and look forward to announcing even more exciting players in the coming weeks."

Mr. Tom Dempsey, owner of Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, Fla. was also announced as a new team investor. Mainsail Lodging and Development Group was announced as the exclusive housing partner of the FC Tampa Bay organization.

Finally, FC Tampa Bay announced that its Academy International Residency Program will be headquartered at Saddlebrook Resort. TBR Academy Residency Program will start with 20 to 25 international and domestic players. Players will be housed and schooled at Saddlebrook, as well as trained by the FC Tampa Bay Academy coaching staff led by Technical Director Perry Van Der Beck.


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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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