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For Immediate Release
| Contact: | Kendra Calvert Blue Equity, LLC Tel: 502.588.7159 kcalvert@blueequity.com | Charlie Bernard 5W Public Relations Tel: 212.584.4278 cbernard@5wpr.com |
Crocs, Inc. Signs On as an Official Sponsor of the World's Largest 3on3 Soccer Event — The 2008 Kick It Tour
Sponsors Announced
LOUISVILLE, KY, January 14, 2008 - Blue Equity, LLC (www.blueequity.com) announced today that leading footwear brand, Crocs, Inc., will be an official sponsor of the 2008 "Kick-It" Tour, the world's largest 3on3 soccer event. Organized by Team Championships International (TCI), a subsidiary of Blue Equity, the nationwide tour is expected to attract an estimated 500,000 spectators and participants. The tour will begin April 26, 2008, and will include cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Tampa, and Tulsa.
Each year the tour culminates with a World 3v3 Soccer Championships at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. This year's championship will take place on January 18-21, 2008 with more than 1,000 teams, 6,000 players and 30,000 spectators. Crocs will award a pair of shoes to all winning teams from each division at the World Championship.
The pairing of the Crocs brand, with the largest 3on3 soccer event in the world is a great fit. Like the footwear brand, the Kick It Tour appeals to all ages and genders. The tour's divisions are broken into competitive and recreational divisions as follows: 5-19 year olds, co-ed, adult, and over 30.
"From young children to adults, the success of "Kick It" speaks to the growth of the participatory sports platform," said Dan Cramer, CEO of Team Championships International. "Our Kick It tour continues to reach more communities every year because of demand from the participants."
"A dynamic company like Crocs is a perfect compliment to our grassroots events and serves to reinforce our belief that participatory sports is an extremely productive medium through which brands can connect with the public," said Michael Principe, COO of Blue Equity and Managing Director of its Sports and Entertainment properties.
The tour is one of TCI's flagships events, in addition to their "Hoop It Up" and "Let It Fly" participatory sports tours. Currently producing over 125 events, TCI's tours are collectively the largest in the world of their kind. Since their inception, they have attracted approximately 2 million participants and 12 million spectators.
For more information on the 2008 "Kick It" tour, please visit www.kickit3v3.com. For information on Blue Equity's other participatory tours, please visit Hoop it Up (3v3 basketball), www.hoopitup.com and Let It Fly (4on4 flag football), www.4on4football.com.
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About Blue Equity
Blue Equity's holdings in sports are comprised of SFX Worldwide, Worldwide Football, Blackwave Sports, Team Championships International (TCI), Humarks and Game Seven Sports Marketing. Current clients include Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, NFL Pro Bowlers DeAngelo Hall, Will Smith and Michael Vick, NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace, 2007 NBA Lottery picks Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer, Australian, French and US Open Champion Justine Henin, US Open Champion Andy Roddick, No. 1 doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan, Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith, Arizona State basketball coach Herb Sendek, Louisville football coach Steve Kragthorpe, Ole Miss basketball coach Andy Kennedy, Arkansas basketball coach John Pelphrey and Massachusetts basketball coach Travis Ford. Media & Event properties include the US Open Tennis Championship, the French Open Tennis Championship, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, numerous US-based ATP tournaments, Rock 'n Racquets, Hoop It Up, Let It Fly, Kick It, the Boston Marathon, EliteXC Mixed Martial Arts, the Superstars Competition, the AVP Beach Volleyball tour, Ice Wars, the World Cup of Softball, Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge, the Men's and Womens' Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships and the Men's Ford Tennis Championship.
www.sfxworldwide.com | www.blackwavesports.com | www.teamchampionships.com | www.game-seven.com | www.humarks.com
Blue Equity, LLC is an independent, private equity firm based in Louisville, Kentucky. It is committed to actively investing growth capital and business expertise in enterprises with solid development potential. Blue Equity forms strategic partnerships with existing management teams and leverages its expertise and relationships to stabilize, strengthen and grow lasting value. Investment efforts and managerial expertise are focused on the operation of a global and diversified portfolio of business enterprises, including opportunities in media, publishing, sports and entertainment, financial services and real estate. Blue Equity is dedicated to helping businesses grow by accelerating opportunity and driving innovation to the marketplace. www.blueequity.com