Press Release
Cherry Hill, NJ -- South Jersey's new W-League women's soccer team will announce its team name and introduce its new head coach at a press conference at 1:00 PM this Friday at the Cherry Hill Hilton. The team is the new sister team of the South Jersey Barons professional men's team, and it will compete in the nationwide W-League this season.
Part of the United Soccer Leagues system, the W-League has represented the highest level of competitive women's soccer in North America since 1994. The W-League is an "Open League", which allows professionals to play alongside top collegiate and youth stars on the same team. W-League team rosters have included both former and current National Team players. Fans through-out North America have seen players from the 1999 Women's World Cup Champion U.S. National Team, as well as a few from national teams of Canada, England, Japan, Scotland and Denmark compete in W-League matches. Due to the tremendous growth of the W-League since its inception, it split into two divisions in 1998, forming the "elite" level W-1 League, and the W-2 League. This year, the W-League will have an affiliation with the new professional Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) as well, developing players and moving them up to the WUSA.
South Jersey's as yet unnamed entry will compete in the W-2 League. A 13 game schedule is set, culminating with national championship play-offs and the possibility of promotion to the W-1 League. The team's season opener versus the New Jersey Wildcats is scheduled for 5:00 PM, May 5 at Cherokee High School Stadium in Marlton.
Members of the media will be able to meet Wayne Grocott, the new team's Head Coach, several of the team's initial signees, and the team's Technical Director, Matt Driver. Also tentatively scheduled to appear is Tim Murphy, General Manager of the new Women's United Soccer Association franchise, the Philadelphia Charge.
The press conference is being held in conjunction with the annual Coaches Super Clinic -- a three day soccer event featuring some of the top soccer coaching talent in the nation. South Jersey Barons youth team players have been selected as skills demonstrators through-out the clinic. Members of the Barons girls youth team will put on a skills demonstration immediately following the press conference. For a
complete clinic schedule, see www.superclinic.net.
