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Explosion moves to Monroe

August 17, 2007 - International Basketball League (IBL)
Snohomish County Explosion News Release


Monroe, Wa (August 16th, 2007) - Courtyard Media Group INC, (CYMG), a Washington based company, has officially moved Explosion Basketball and it's West Division Championship Banner to a new home. The second ranked team in the IBL, formally from Everett, moves to the east side of Snohomish County, and will be playing in the Monroe Sports Arena in 2008. The Explosion averaged over 1,500 fans per game in it's 2007 inaugural season. "Our fan support was an instrumental factor in staying in Snohomish County," comments CEO Nathan Mumm. "We had offers outside of the county, but with additional support from the local community leaders, as well as our fans, it made the choice simple for Courtyard Media to make this move."

Brandy Knight, CEO of Coastal Keys Realty Group and the newest owner of CYMG, was also a key factor in keeping the team in Snohomish County and in making Monroe our permanent home. "The Greater East County region made sense with all the growth in the community. To have not one, but two (Stallions Football) sports teams in Monroe will help facilitate the growth that is already occurring in the region," said Knight. "I believe that the east side of the county has huge potential to do what Everett and Lynnwood have done, and do it even better."

The Explosion will play the 2008 season in Monroe. We are working in conjunction with both public and private entities to be the primary tenant of a 3,500 seat arena, to be completed in time for the 2009 Explosion season. "The Everett Events Center was a great place to play in season one," said Mumm," but the configuration was not setup well for basketball. We tried very hard to make the location work. The feedback we received from our fans was that is was to cold to sit courtside with the ice underneath the floor. Also, the 30-40 foot gap between the end of the court and the lower bowl seats did not give it a true intimate feeling. Another issue was that our fans wanted to come to games on the weekends. Having every game on weeknights made it tough for families to bring their children. This was a major issue that our ownership wanted to correct and we have found the solution."

For the interim year, Explosion Basketball has committed to improving the Monroe Sports Arena with state of the art audio and video technology. Explosion Basketball has set a high standard for game production and will continue to produce high quality sports entertainment.

We have been receiving fans emails about renewing and purchasing season tickets for the 2008 season. 2007 renewals will begin on August 23rd, in conjunction with the start of the Evergreen State Fair. New season ticket deposits will also be taken at this time. These individuals will be placed on the first priority list for season tickets, after 2007 renewals are complete.

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