Dayton Dutch Lions News Release -- www.dutchlionsfc.com
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
DAYTON, Ohio - The Dayton Dragons and Dayton Dutch Lions jointly announced today that the first professional soccer event ever held at Fifth Third Field will take place on Saturday, May 28, 2011 when the Dutch Lions host the Charlotte Eagles in an official USL PRO regular season match.
The playing surface at Fifth Third Field will be aligned to accommodate the dimensions of a soccer field. The Fifth Third Field seating bowl, the club level, and stadium luxury suites will also be used similarly to Dragons' baseball games. Concessions stands and suite level catering will be available as usual.
The event marks the continuation in the effort by the Dragons to bring events to downtown Dayton. Last fall, the Dragons hosted amateur boxing featuring Olympic hopefuls at Fifth Third Field. In past seasons, the Dragons have hosted concerts with major acts like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Bryan Adams and many others. The Dragons have hosted two Major League exhibition games featuring the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championships. Additionally, each spring, the Dragons host more than 20 high school baseball games.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with the Dayton Dutch Lions to bring the first-ever professional soccer games to Fifth Third Field,” Dragons President Robert Murphy said. “Fifth Third Field has proven to be a great venue, not only for the Dragons and the high school baseball games we have hosted, but for other great events as well such as concerts, boxing, and now professional soccer.”
“Partnering with the Dragons to play a doubleheader on May 28 at Fifth Third Field is fantastic for several reasons,” said Mike Mossel, Dutch Lions Co-Owner and President. “First, both of our organizations are focused on providing a high-quality sports and entertainment product for the Dayton community. Second, they are also in the business of developing players for the top level. Third, we can learn from them since they have already experienced the things we encounter in our early stages of trying to build a top professional organization with eventually a European-style soccer-specific stadium in Dayton.
"Being able to tie this together in an event where we combine our marketing efforts to attract as many people as we can to see both our Men’s Pro Team as well as the newly added Women’s Team in their home debut at Fifth Third Field on one night is great. I hope we can make this an annual event.”
For more information visit the Dayton Dutch Lions FC official website at www.dutchlionsfc.com, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @daytondutchlion.