FieldTurf Partners with U.S. Soccer Foundation and Nike


DALTON, Ga., June 18, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- FieldTurf announced that it has partnered with the U.S. Soccer Foundation and NikeGo to promote the sport of soccer across the United States. Over the next four years, the Foundation and Nike will award 50 communities with grants from a total pool of $5 million to install FieldTurf soccer fields. This new collaborative signifies FieldTurf's commitment to increasing the number of playing opportunities for every American child and adult.

NikeGO is Nike's signature U.S. community affairs initiative and the company's long-term commitment to getting kids more physically active. This year the following organizations received $100,000 grants.



 -- Aloha Community Improvement Project; Beaverton, Oregon
 -- Century United; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 -- City of Sterling Heights; Sterling Heights, Michigan
 -- Hudson River Park; New York, New York
 -- Seacoast United; Hampton, New Hampshire
 -- Striker Park; Richmond, Virginia
 -- St. Louis Youth Soccer Association; St. Louis, Missouri
 -- West-United Soccer Association; Limerick, Pennsylvania

"There remains a constant and critical need for adequate playing fields for soccer players of all levels," says U.S. Soccer Foundation's Executive Director John Koskinen. "We welcome FieldTurf to our combined commitment to this program, which brings the highest quality fields and equipment within reach of communities across the U.S."

"FieldTurf is proud to have been selected as the synthetic turf of choice of the U.S. Soccer Foundation," said John Gilman, FieldTurf CEO. "Our long standing relationship with Nike and our commitment to the growth of soccer worldwide has enabled us to reap the benefits in a short period of time."

The partnership provides communities, leagues, clubs, or groups an avenue to apply directly to the U.S. Soccer Foundation for financial grant assistance or to purchase outright a FieldTurf synthetic soccer field package.

FieldTurf's revolutionary synthetic turf duplicates the playing conditions of real grass, yet it is virtually maintenance free and can be used year round in all weather conditions. FieldTurf and Nike have worked together for six years to produce top-quality soccer and multi-purpose sports fields using Nike Grind, a material comprised of recycled athletic shoe material from Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program.

"We are honored to be involved with the U.S. Soccer Foundation and to have the opportunity to contribute to the goal of getting more kids playing soccer," added Gilman. "We're also more comfortable seeing them playing on a safe and modern surface."

The U.S. Soccer Foundation is the development and philanthropic arm of soccer in the United States. Established in 1994, to administer the profits from the phenomenally successful 1994 FIFA World Cup, the Foundation has managed to provide enormous benefit to soccer at all levels while at the same time maintaining a wise investment policy that has protected 100% of the original corpus. Over its first ten years, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has made more than $35,000,000 worth of financial support available to the game and continues its innovative approach to gaining support from private, public and government sectors. For additional information on the U.S. Soccer Foundation, please visit www.ussoccerfoundation.org or call 202-872-9277.

FieldTurf is the first choice for top stadiums around the world with over 800 installations in more than 20 countries. FieldTurf currently has orders for another 200 fields and will reach 1000 installations this fall. FieldTurf ia privately held company that has revolutionized the artificial turf industry with its patented products and installation technologies. FieldTurf also offers a full range of artificial grass solutions. For more information on FieldTurf, please visit www.fieldturf.com, or call (800) 724-2969.



            

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