FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 9, 2001
For more information, contact
Hill Carrow, Capitol Sports Management 919-890-6284
John Houghton, Carolina Courage 919-573-7601
Carolina Courage Taps Capitol Sports Management
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Carolina Courage of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) has selected Capitol Sports Management (CSM), a division of Capitol Broadcasting Company, to provide sponsorship development and corporate ticket sales support.
The WUSA is the world’s premier women’s professional soccer league, with eight initial franchises located in Atlanta, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington, D.C. Competition begins in April, and features the world’s best known players including Carla Overbeck, Mia Hamm, and Brandi Chastain.
The Carolina Courage, originally slated to play in Orlando, was relocated to Raleigh-Durham at the end of last year. The Courage will play their home games during the inaugural 2001 season at Fetzer Field on the campus of UNC – Chapel Hill. In 2002, the team is planning a move to the state-of-the-art State Capital Soccer Complex, currently under construction in nearby Cary.
“Our delayed arrival into this market, due to the relocation of the team from Orlando, meant we had to get out of the blocks quickly, ” explained Courage President Jerome Ramsey. “We felt that Capitol Sports Management had the sports marketing expertise and the contacts in the local community to expedite the process of securing corporate support. We are very pleased to have them on board.”
Hill Carrow, President of CSM, expressed his enthusiasm. “We are extremely excited about North Carolina’s newest top-level professional sports franchise. We feel that, as the only professional franchise focused on women’s sports, the Carolina Courage will gain a strong foothold in the Triangle. We are delighted to have been chosen to join the Courage team.”
The WUSA is owned by a unique partnership that unites Time Warner Cable, which operates the Carolina Courage and the New York Power, with several other major players in the cable industry. Other WUSA investors include John S. Hendricks, chairman and CEO of Discovery Communications; Amos B. Hostetter, Jr., former chairman and CEO, Continental Cablevision, Inc.; Comcast Corporation; Cox Enterprises; and Cox Communications.
Capitol Sports Management is a consulting firm specializing in sponsorship, marketing, events, bid cities, and team ownership. The company is also developing new properties in the adult or Masters sports market, including the hosting of the 2003 USA Masters Games in the Triangle area.
Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company which owns and/or operates WRAL-TV, WRAL-Digital, WRAL-FM, Microspace, the North Carolina News Network, DTV Plus, Wolfpack Sports Marketing, and Capitol Sports Management in Raleigh, NC; WJZY-TV and WFVT-TV in Charlotte, NC; WILM-TV in Wilmington, NC; WRAZ-TV and the Durham Bulls Baseball Club in Durham, NC; and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans Baseball Club in Myrtle Beach, SC; Capitol Broadcasting Company also founded Local TV on Satellite in Raleigh, NC.
