Ventura County Fusion to Kick Off 2011 PDL Season with Exciting New Players, Sponsors, and Stadium

April 29, 2011 - PRLog -- VENTURA, Calif. — April 29, 2011 — The Ventura County Fusion (http://www.vcfusion.com), the region’s first and only world-class, championship-caliber soccer franchise, the 2010 Southwest Division title holder, and the 2009 champions of the Premier Development League (PDL), today announced it will kick off the 2011 PDL season this weekend with exciting new players, corporate marketing partners, and a new home stadium as the team seeks its third consecutive playoff berth and second league title. One of the most successful and well-respected organizations in league history, the Fusion will face the Fresno Fuego at 5:00 p.m. PDT on Sunday, May 1, in its season opener played in the team’s new home, the Ventura College Sportsplex in Ventura, Calif.

“Building on the achievements of last year’s playoff appearance and 2009’s league championship, we worked very hard in the off-season to identify and recruit talented players that best position us for season-long success in what has become a very competitive division and conference,” said Ranbir Shergill, general manager of the Ventura County Fusion. “Beyond enhancing the on-field product, we also wanted to expand the Fusion fan base and enhance the collective game-viewing experience. As a result, we secured a new state-of-the-art home stadium ideally suited for soccer spectators, and brought on exceptional corporate marketing partners that can provide additional value and benefits to our fans. These additions, along with a wide range of affordable season ticket packages, will make the 2011 PDL season the best yet for the Ventura County Fusion and its many supporters.”

Fusion’s 2011 Roster Blends Exciting Mix of New and Returning Players
The Fusion’s 2011 roster features a mix of returning team members, including goalkeeper Brian Rowe, midfielders Danny Barrera, Travis Bowen, Jacob Hustedt, Andy Rose, and Sam Nicholson, and defenders Armando Guerrero and Shawn Singh, and highly-talented new players from other PDL teams, Major League Soccer (MLS) franchises, and international football clubs. The team’s dynamic line-up additions include Dillon Barna, a member of the Fusion’s 2009 championship team and a former player with AC St. Louis; Mexican natives Rosario Bras and Raul Yepez; Britons Mark Magee, Callum Riley, and Ben and Sam Nicholson; Serbian midfielder Ivan Mirkovic; Jamaican forward Ramone Palmer; and South American sensation Juan Gimenez (Buenos Aires, Argentina). New addition John Lopez comes to the Fusion from Club de Futból Estudiantes, better known by its nickname Tecos, a prominent team in the Mexican First Division (i.e., Primera División Profesional). In all, the Fusion squad includes players from nine different countries.

Numerous Fusion players are also local Ventura County products. Barrera is a former Westlake High School standout who stars on the University of California Santa Barbara men’s soccer team, while Yepez, Gabriel Gonzales, and Emigdio Ramirez all hail from Oxnard.

Fusion Adds New Corporate Marketing Partners and Sponsorship Support
Led by returning diamond-level sponsor Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach, featured on the front of the team’s home and away-game jerseys, the Fusion has secured new corporate marketing agreements which provide the team with financial support and other important consideration as it seeks its second PDL Championship title in three years, and looks to expands its increasingly-popular regional soccer instruction programs. For 2011, the Fusion has secured new sponsorships from five Ventura County businesses:  Bally Total Fitness, one of the nation’s largest commercial operators of fitness centers; First California Bank, a community bank with 18 full-service branches throughout Southern California; McDonald’s; PFGBest Camarillo, an investment firm specializing in sustainable investing practices; Subway; and Ventura Orthopedic Group.

The five recently-signed marketing partners join existing sponsors Crown Plaza Ventura Beach; adidas, official apparel and equipment provider of the Fusion; FASTSIGNS® of Ventura, a custom sign and graphic solutions provider to companies of all sizes across all industries; Limoneira, a 117-year-old international agribusiness corporation headquartered in Santa Paula; Peck Chiropractic Sports Medicine; Quick Printing Plus, a full-service printing and copy company; and Xtreme Soccer, an Oxnard, Calif.-based seller and marketer of soccer apparel , footwear, and accessories.

Ventura College Sportsplex:  The New Home of the Ventura County Fusion
The Ventura County Fusion, which previously played its home games at Buena High School’s Bulldog Stadium in Ventura, will now host visiting teams at the Ventura College Sportsplex, a 5,000-seat, state-of-the-art stadium located on the Ventura College campus. The venue, which opened in 2008, features ample parking for fans, a mammoth video scoreboard, concession stand, and press box.


Ticket Pricing and Availability
The Fusion also announced affordable new season ticket plans for 2011. An adult season ticket package, which includes the admission of one adult for all eight Fusion regular-season home games and any potential playoff matches, is $55.00 per person, while youth season ticket packages, available to children 16 and under, are only $35.00 per person. A family season ticket package, which includes the admission of two adults and two youths to all eight Fusion regular-season home games and any potential playoff matches, is just $149.00 – a $180.00 value. Tickets to individual home games are also available at a cost of $10.00 per game for adults, and $5.00 per game for children ages 16 and under.

Ventura County Fusion season ticket packages and individual home game tickets are now available by contacting Fusion headquarters at (805) 277-9742, or by ordering online at http://www.vcfusion.com. For a complete schedule of all Ventura County Fusion home games, please visit http://www.vcfusion.com.


Corporate Sponsorship Pricing and Availability
Customized sponsorship packages with varied pricing are still available for the 2011 PDL season. Companies interested in exploring sports marketing opportunities with the Ventura County Fusion should contact Shergill by phone at (805) 256-0925, or by email at rshergill@vcfusion.com.

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About The Ventura County Fusion
Based in Ventura, California, the Ventura County Fusion is a successful world- class, championship-caliber soccer franchise and participant in the Western Conference’s Southwest Division of the Premier Development League (PDL), an official operation of United Soccer Leagues (USL). Now in its fifth year of operation, the team enters the 2011 season with three consecutive playoff berths and the reigning Southwest Division champions. The Fusion’s roster consists of members of the U.S.’s Under 20 National Team, players from well-respected NCAA Division I university programs, and highly-touted standouts from international squads throughout the world. In addition to PDL play, the Fusion competes in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and in various exhibitions against some of the world’s best professional squads, including Burnley and Everton of the English Premier League, and Chivas USA, DC United, Los Angeles Galaxy, and Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer (MLS). The Fusion is one of the few PDL organizations to offer a broad range of soccer instructional programs, including camps, schools, free clinics, and a youth club academy, specifically designed for players of different experience levels. Fusion fans, sponsors, and journalists can follow the team on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com; on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/VCFusion; and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VCFusion. For more information on the Ventura County Fusion, please visit http://www.vcfusion.com, or e-mail info@vcfusion.com.

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About The Ventura County Fusion
Based in Ventura, California, the Ventura County Fusion is a successful world- class, championship-caliber soccer franchise and participant in the Western Conference’s Southwest Division of the Premier Development League (PDL), an official operation of United Soccer Leagues (USL). Now in its fifth year of operation, the team enters the 2011 season with three consecutive playoff berths and as the reigning Southwest Division champions. The Fusion’s roster consists of members of the U.S.’s Under 20 National Team, players from well-respected NCAA Division I university programs, and highly-touted standouts from international squads throughout the world. In addition to PDL play, the Fusion competes in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and in various exhibitions against some of the world’s best professional squads, including Burnley and Everton of the English Premier League, and Chivas USA, DC United, and Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS).