Spalding Youth Skills Competition Highlights All-Star Family Family Festival

January 20, 2004 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release


(Westport, Conn., January 20, 2004) – Soccer stars of the future will have an opportunity to measure their skills in the Spalding All-Star Youth Skills Competition, part of the Major Indoor Soccer League's 2004 All-Star Weekend, to be held February 27-29 in St. Charles, MO, home of the St. Louis Steamers. The Competition will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 28, and will kick off the 2004 All-Star Family Festival program of activities that day at the Family Arena in St. Charles.

Youth soccer players from throughout the St. Louis area will compete in Power Shooting, Accuracy Shooting, and Speed Dribbling skills, with the winners introduced on the field during the 2004 MISL All-Star Game, to be played on Sunday, February 29, at 1:05 p.m. CST at the Family Arena. Participants will compete in groups by gender and in four age categories: 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, and 13-14.

"The MISL's All-Star Weekend highlights not only the past and present of indoor soccer, but also its future," said MISL Commissioner Steve Ryan. "With the Spalding All-Star Youth Skills Competition, young soccer players in the greater St. Louis area will have a chance to see how they stack up in three key components of the game. Considering the tremendous soccer talent here, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these competitors in an MISL uniform one day."

Saturday's Family Festival will also include youth mini games, public practices for the All-Star teams and Legends teams, the MISL All-Star Skills Challenge, and the famous MISL Autograph Alley. On Saturday night, the Grand Ballroom at the Renaissance Hotel St. Louis Airport will be the site of The Commissioner's Gala: A Celebration of Excellence. The All-Star Weekend will culminate on Sunday, February 29, with the League's showcase event, the 2004 All-Star Game, at 1:05 p.m. CST, followed by a Legends Game featuring a galaxy of former indoor greats in an MISL Legends versus St. Louis Steamers Legends format.

Entrants in the Spalding All-Star Youth Skills Competition will have the opportunity to practice the three skills at either of two Spalding Youth Skills Practices, which will be held immediately following the Steamers game on Saturday, February 7th and again immediately following the Steamers game on President's Day, Monday, February 16th. Both games begin at 1:05 p.m. To enter the Spalding All-Star Youth Skills Competition, youth players must purchase a Youth Skills Combo Package, which includes a ticket to either of the two Steamers Games, a ticket to the All-Star Family Festival, and a ticket to All-Star Sunday, featuring the All-Star Game and the Legends Game. Each participant will also receive a Spalding MISL replica-ball. To purchase a Youth Skills Combo package, contact the Steamers offices at 1-866-STL-KICK (1-866-785-5425), ext. 501.

For more information on the 2004 MISL All-Star Weekend, visit www.misl.net, or call the St. Louis Steamers offices at 1-866-785-5425. Tickets for All-Star Weekend events can be purchased directly at MetroTix.com, by calling MetroTix (314-534-1111 or 800-293-5949), or at over 40 MetroTix outlets throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area.

The Major Indoor Soccer League is a single-entity organization featuring a coast-to-coast presence with eight teams located across the United States and a ninth team in Monterrey, Mexico. The MISL is the single major league of indoor soccer, playing a 162-regular season game schedule that began on October 4, 2003, and concludes on April 4, 2004. For more information on the MISL, visit the League's website at www.MISL.net.

Spalding, a division of Russell Corporation, is the nation's first full-line sporting goods company. Its leadership and innovative products have led to revolutionary breakthroughs in virtually every major sporting goods product category. For more information on Spalding, visit their website at www.spalding.com or call the consumer relations department at 800-SPALDING (772-5346).



Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from January 20, 2004


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