NPSL Final Four 2009

Social Media News Release

The 2009 National Premier Soccer League Final Four Championship Weekend ‘Breezes’ Into Madison, Wisconsin, Friday July 31 – Saturday August 1

News Facts:

The National Premier Soccer League Final Four is the final weekend of play in the league, crowning the NPSL Champion on Saturday August 1st
All Final Four matches will be held in Madison, Wisconsin at Breese Stevens Field (917 East Miffin Ave, Madison WI 53701).
The 2009 Final Four is hosted by the Midwest Region’s Madison 56′ers.
Pre-Final Four Press Conference: Thursday July 30th 7:00pm @Madison 56′ers conference room.
Pre-Championship Match Press Conference: Saturday August 1st, 3:00pm @ Breese Stevens Field
Post-Match Press Conference: Saturday August 1st, 9:30pm, @ Breese Stevens Field

Quotes

Attributed to Dan Trainor, NPSL Commissioner

Quite simply fans will see the 4 best teams that the NPSL has to offer. They will see great players and teams and have a chance to experience the finals in a up close and personal way.
We rotate the finals each year so that local teams and fans have a chance to see them. We seek bids a couple of years in advance and this year Madison was chosen. They have a solid reputation, a great stadium and fans and they have experience in hosting the finals.
The league does not have to worry about whether or not the venue will be ready for the teams. Madison has a long history as a club and we know they will do what is necessary to make the finals a success.

Attributed to Charles Billings, Madison 56′ers General Manager and Midwest Region Commissioner

The Madison 56ers have, over the years, hosted numerous events such as International Games, regional National Cup playoffs, etc. that have drawn attendance of over one thousand spectators, so it is not a new experience.
Fans can certainly expect to see great amateur soccer with four of the best amateur teams in the country, stocked with the best college and amateur players, competing for the NPSL National Championship. With good weather, there will be a great crowd of soccer enthusiasts there that will provide an exciting, dynamic atmosphere.
Breese Stevens has the feel of an old time European stadium. While the repairs have, unfortunately, removed the sixty years of plant growth from the walls which gave Breese Stevens a unique look, the spectators are still close to the field and can hear, and some times feel, every tackle, player comments, good and bad, and experience the speed and physicality of high level soccer.
Breese Stevens Field was established in the mid-1920 and upgraded to the current stadium configuration in the mid-1930’s. Located in downtown Madison, it was the center of Madison area athletics for nearly 40 years, until the mid-1960’s when a number of high school stadiums were constructed and most athletic events moved to these newer facilities. Breese Stevens is a registered “historic site”, and is Madison’s equivalent to Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

About the National Premier Soccer League Final Four Championship Weekend:

The National Premier Soccer League is proud to announce that Madison, Wisconsin will host the 2009 NPSL Final Four Weekend.

Madison, Wisconsin is home to the NPSL Club Madison 56′ers, who will be the hosts for this year’s championship matches at beautiful Breese Stevens Field, located at 917 East Miffin Ave, Madison WI 53701. (Google Maps). Breese was originally built in 1926 and is the perfect world class venue to host this year’s marquee event in the National Premier Soccer League.

“We hope to be one of the four teams here,” said Charles Billings, General Manager of the Madison 56ers and also Midwest Regional Commissioner. “But it will be here even if we’re not.”

The Final Four weekend will consist of three of the most anticipated games all season in the NPSL, as the teams crownd playoff champions from the Northeast Region, Southeast Region, Midwest Region and West Region face off in the first round on Friday, July 31st. A draw held before the tournament will determine which teams will square off in the First round.

The winners from Friday night’s matches will play, Saturday August 1st at 7:00pm to decide who will become the 2009 NPSL National Champion and hoist the NPSL Cup this season.

Timeline of Weekend Events:

Thursday, July 30th

7:00pm – Press Conference – Madison 56′ers Conference Room

Friday July 31st

6:00pm – First Semifinal Match – Breese Stevens Field

8:00pm – Second Semifinal Match – Breese Stevens Field

Saturday August 1st

3:00pm – Pre-game press conference – Breese Stevens Field

5:00pm – Third Place Match – Breese Stevens Field

7:00pm – 2009 NPSL Championship Match – Breese Stevens Field

9:30pm – Post-match press conference – Breese Stevens Field

About The Hosts, Madison 56′ers

Club founded in 1956 in Madison, Wisconsin. Member of the Wisconsin Soccer Association for 53 years (from 1956 to 2009). Winner of numerous youth and adult state and USSF Region 2 championships; twice USSF National Amateur Cup finalist in 1990 and 1992; USSF National Amateur Cup Champion in 1992.

Founding member of the NPSL in the fall of 2004. Two-time NPSL Midwest Region Champion and NPSL Championship finalist in 2006 and 2007. Hosted the NPSL National Championship in 2006; Madison 56ers vs. Sacramento Knights; drew a crowd in excess of 1500 for the championship game.

The team is part of the larger Madison 56ers soccer club, which was founded in 1956. The club has won 22 youth state championships, one men’s national championship, six men’s state championships, four men’s USASA Region II championships and three women’s state championships.

NPSL Boilerplate:

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), was founded in 2003 and is the highest ranking amateur soccer league in the United States. The goal of the NPSL is to provide it’s clubs the opportunity to showcase and assist their players to progress onto the professional level, in turn giving fans affordable, high quality entertainment throughout the United States. The NPSL is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the ruling body for soccer in the United States and FIFA, the world’s ruling body for soccer.

National Premier Soccer League History:

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), was founded in 2003 and is the highest ranking amateur soccer league in the United States in America. The league is generally considered to be the fourth tier of soccer in the United States, according to the US Soccer Pyramid. The league consists of four seperate regions across the United States, the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and West Region, with the Southwest region on hiatus until the 2010 season. Each team plays a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 16 regular season games, with the region winners advancing to the NPSL Final Four Championship weekend.

This highly competitive league helps all the teams gain access to elite players to fill their team roster, including but not limited to National Team, former and current University and College, foreign, amateur, former professional and youth players. All current NCAA players will be able to play soccer at an elite level and continue to maintain their eligibility, while incoming NCAA players can impress college scouts and coaches alike.

The NPSL is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the ruling body for soccer in the United States and FIFA the world’s ruling body for soccer. Through USASA, NPSL clubs are able to qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the oldest running soccer tournament in the country, and one of the oldest soccer tournaments in the world.

The NPSL operates and is managed as a team run league. The structure of the league will allow each participating team to have one vote on the executive committee. Each team is owned and operated individually, and is responsible for maintaining league minimum standards and for raising its own operating cash. The existing team owners, that comprise the league management team, approve all new teams who desire to join the league, and are allowed to vote on any league changes at the Annual General Meeting, taking place in conjunction with the NSCAA conference.