Football Partnerships

The Xtreme Soccer League received provisional membership in the United States Soccer Federation for its inaugural season.

The USSF is the governing body for soccer in the United States. USSF membership benefits include licensing, insuring and assignment of U.S. Soccer registered referees; a conduit for relationships with the IOC, USOC, FIFA and CONCACAF; continuing education for coaches and referees; and much more.

“The USSF is dedicated at all levels to growth and development of soccer in the United States,” said Brian Loftin, commissioner of the Xtreme Soccer League. “The growth and development of opportunities for participants and spectators alike is a key to our current and future success, and there is no greater partner to have in this pursuit than the USSF.”

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By Seth Roy

The Newark Area Soccer Association will host the first what it hopes will be many annual Buckeye Cup youth tournaments in May, Managing Director Keith Loughlin said.

“It was a natural extension of what we planned to do,” he said. “We think we will be successful.”

The May 2-3 tournament could bring up to 144 teams with children ages 9 to 14 and their families to the Newark area.

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By Adele Malloy

Delaware County Solicitor John McBlain gave the first reading of an ordinance at last week’s County Council meeting that gets the ball rolling for a $30 million bond issue, as part of funding for a proposed waterfront soccer stadium in Chester.The site is controlled by the Delaware River Port Authority. Procedures are underway to transfer control to the Chester Redevelopment Authority which will hold the reins while the county and the state act in tandem as the project gets underway, managed by the Delaware County Chester Water-front Industrial Development Authority.

Council took no action on the resolution. A public hearing and approval is expected at the 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13 Delco meeting, McBlain said.

As part of the Chester redevelopment plan, council approved a resolution authorizing the exemption, abatement or credit of real property, earned income tax, net profits, mercantile and business privilege taxes within a specific geographic area in Chester that had been designated as a state-mandated Keystone Opportunity Zone. The state law is designed to foster economic opportunities, stimulate industrial commercial and residential improvements. Its purpose also targets preventing physical and infrastructure deterioration within the designated neighborhoods, McBlain said.

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AC Milan midfielder David Beckham has ended his ten-year association with soft drink giant Pepsi.

The 33-year-old announced today that the deal, worth a reputed £2 million a year, will be discontinued at the end of the player’s current contract.

Beckham, who will play for Milan until the recommencement of the MLS season in March with LA Galaxy, told the press: “I have nothing but good memories of my association with Pepsi.

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SONY Gulf will sponsor the 19th Gulf Cup, the Gulf’s most popular soccer event which is set to take place in Muscat from January 4 to 17, next year.

This is the first major Middle East soccer tournament Sony is partnering with and is an extension of the Sony’s global eight-year Fifa partnership from 2007 to 2014 that covers the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

“Football is the GCC’s favourite sport. I can’t think of a better way for Sony to enter the hearts and minds of the people and celebrate the game with them than to partner with the best of the Middle East football action through the Arabian Gulf Cup of Nations,” said Sony Gulf managing director Osamu Miura.

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