The North American Soccer League (NASL) today announced that Ottawa, Ontario has been awarded an expansion franchise. The new team will be owned by the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) and play home games at Lansdowne Park. The franchise will commence League play upon the completion of a major stadium reconstruction project which is expected to commence later this year. The North American Soccer League is a Division II men’s outdoor professional soccer league with teams based in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
“We welcome Ottawa to the NASL,” said League Commissioner David Downs. “As we continue to expand and collectively grow professional soccer in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, Ottawa is a natural market with a vibrant business community, large soccer fan base and an exceptional ownership group.”
OSEG partner John Pugh, who is also the CEO and Owner of the Ottawa Fury Soccer Club, has been named President of the new NASL franchise. Pugh says he’s committed to building a successful team on and off the field: "This will be, by far, the highest calibre of soccer we’ll have seen in Ottawa since the 2007 FIFA Men’s U-20 World Cup,” said Pugh. “We are committed to fielding a competitive team from the get-go, providing a lively, entertaining game day experience for families and establishing strong ties with all soccer players and fans across the region. It’s a privilege to have this opportunity.”
Ottawa’s new 24,000 seat soccer-friendly downtown stadium will be built to exact FIFA specifications. The City of Ottawa and OSEG are partners in the project and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson says it’s an exciting time for the entire city: “Residents are excited about NASL soccer, our bid for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, CFL football and other events that will take place in Ottawa thanks to a newly redeveloped Lansdowne Park," said Mayor Watson. "With 65,000 registered players in our region playing the world's game, it’s high time Ottawa had a professional soccer team and a world-class stadium.”
OSEG is offering Ottawa soccer fans an opportunity to reserve the right to purchase season tickets for their NASL team before they become available to the public at large. A limited number of priority reservation numbers (PRNs) are now available for a fully-refundable $25 deposit or free for current season ticket holders for the Ottawa Fury and Ottawa 67’s and PRN holders for Ottawa’s new CFL football franchise Details for this program are available at www.ottawafury.com or www.ottawa67s.com.
ABOUT THE NASL: The North American Soccer League is the Division II men’s outdoor professional soccer league in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The NASL member teams are: Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, FC Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, NSC Minnesota Stars, Montreal Impact (joining MLS in 2012), Puerto Rico Islanders, and the San Antonio Scorpions FC (beginning play in 2012). For more information about the NASL, please visit NASL.com. For real time updates, follow the NASL on Twitter at Twitter.com/NASLOfficial or Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NASLfans.
ABOUT JOHN PUGH: Born in England, John Pugh studied and played varsity soccer at the University of Wales. After obtaining a first class degree in Computer Technology, he played semi-pro soccer and taught computer science in Durham and Sheffield, before accepting a position with Ottawa's Carleton University. He later co-founded and served as President of The Object People Inc., and in 2002 Mr. Pugh rekindled his passion for soccer, purchasing and serving as CEO of the Ottawa Fury Soccer Club. Under his leadership, the Fury has become one of Canada's top player development organizations and Fury teams are perennially top-contenders at all levels, including the USL's Premier Development League (PDL) and it's women's equivalent, the USL W-League. More information on Mr. Pugh can be found on the Fury website: www.OttawaFury.com.
ABOUT OSEG: The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group is the partnership founded to re-establish CFL football and establish NASL soccer in Ottawa and, in partnership with the City of Ottawa, revitalize Lansdowne Park. The OSEG partners are: Rogers Greenberg (Minto Group), Jeff Hunt (Ottawa 67s), John Pugh (Ottawa Fury), John Ruddy (Trinity Development Group) and William Shenkman (The Shenkman Group). More information on the partners can be found on their respective corporate websites:
www.minto.com, www.ottawa67s.com, www.ottawafury.com, www.trinity-group.com, www.shenkmancorp.com.
ABOUT THE LANSDOWNE PARTNERSHIP: On June 28, 2010, Ottawa Council voted to proceed with the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park through a partnership of the City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. The Lansdowne Partnership Plan presented on September 2, 2009 offered a vision for a new, vibrant and transformed Lansdowne. At the direction of Council, the plan was further refined and on November 22, 2010, Council approved the integrated master site plan. More information on the plan and the stadium can be found on the City of Ottawa website: www.Ottawa.ca.
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