CRYSTAL CLEAR SPORTS AND NATIONAL SPORTS CENTER ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: March 13, 2007
Contact: Barclay Kruse, Schwan’s USA CUP Media Director
763.785.5634
Randy Luedtke, Crystal Clear Sports
612.418.6102
763.574.1451
http://www.crystalclearsports.net/
CRYSTAL CLEAR SPORTS AND NATIONAL SPORTS CENTER ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP FOR INTERNET BROADCAST OF GAMES AND FEATURE PROGRAMMING OF SCHWAN’S USA CUP YOUTH SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Blaine, Minn. (March 13, 2007) – The National Sports Center and Crystal Clear Sports announced a partnership to offer extensive website broadcasting of games and events during the 2007 Schwan’s USA CUP, presented by PUMA. The tournament, held July 13-21 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, is the largest youth soccer tournament in the Western Hemisphere, with over 900 teams projected to attend.
Crystal Clear Sports will provide live audio and video web broadcasts of over 200 games, opening ceremonies, and other Schwan’s USA CUP events on a pay-per-view basis on their website: www.crystalclearsports.net.
They will also assist the Schwan’s USA CUP media staff in the production of a free daily “e-magazine” show that will be available on the Schwan’s USA CUP website. The show will offer tournament interviews, entertainment features, and educational segments in an entertaining, high-energy style.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to offer sports programming of a Minnesota event that commands a worldwide audience.” said Randy Luedtke, President of Crystal Clear Sports. “Web casting is the perfect medium for an event of this type, because there is interest all over the world, but not in numbers that would interest traditional broadcast media. Internet broadcasts fit this niche perfectly.”
The 2006 Schwan’s USA CUP attracted teams from 17 different countries and 28 states.
All broadcasts will be available live, and also archived for viewing at a later time.
“We’re expecting the archived broadcasts to be very popular, especially among teams and families who will watch games and events after they’ve returned home,” said Teri Vogt, Schwan’s USA CUP director. “If a team’s game is one of those picked for web cast, they won’t be able to watch while they’re playing, but we think they’ll love watching themselves weeks or months after the event.”
Schwan’s USA CUP Media Director Barclay Kruse said that the tournament has increasingly embraced technology in communicating the news and happenings during event week.
“We have had added many multi-media features on our website such as photography, audio interviews, and web-only articles,” said Kruse. “The web casting offered by Crystal Clear Sports, especially the daily e-magazine show, will really take us to a new and higher level of service. What we will be offering is absolutely cutting edge in the world of youth soccer.”
A detailed schedule of web casts, as well as pricing for the pay-per-view broadcasts, will be announced closer to the tournament date.