USA volleyball may move to Anaheim, CA

[Rocky]

I have heard rumors for a while, but today I heard it on the news. USA Volleyball is strongly considering moving to the American Sports Center in Anaheim, CA. I know the ASC has been "courting" USA Volleyball since it opened. They have also kept a few rooms intentionally vacant in hopes to get them here. Originally I heard that they were looking at the men's team. Today it sounded like the whole program.

Anyone else hear anything about this move?

[VBbeast]

I had heard about them courting the men as well, and from what I heard it sounded like a good possibility. I think they are still in the process of constructing housing so it is still probably a year away still.

[Mac]

A press conference was held today at the ASC to announce the team will practice at the facility for two weeks this summer. Watch the evening news. Channel 7 in LA was one of the stations present.

[VolleyTX]

For Immediate Release

June 21, 2005



USA Men to Train in Anaheim from July 2-17



ANAHEIM, Calif. – The City of Anaheim, along with more than a dozen local businesses, today announced that the USA Men's National Volleyball team will plan a training visit to Anaheim from July 2-17. The team will train at the Anaheim-based American Sports Center, the largest indoor training facility in the United States.



This training visit is to ascertain whether the team could permanently move to Anaheim on a full-time basis to begin training for the next two Summer Olympics in 2008 and 2012. The team is looking to relocate from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Southern California in order to take advantage of the recruiting, marketing and training opportunities in the region.



"The residents and businesses of Anaheim are known for their commitment to sports in our community, both professional and amateur," said Anaheim Mayor, Curt Pringle. "Once again, our businesses have overwhelmingly demonstrated their support and made this opportunity possible. We would welcome the chance to be known as the home of the world's best volleyball players. We know that Team USA will find Anaheim a superb site to train."



This visit is being made possible due to the generosity of Anaheim businesses that donated or discounted their services in order to accommodate the USA Men's team. Sponsors include the American Sports Center; Hilton Anaheim; Ameriquest Mortgage; ARAMARK; Lewis Companies; Anaheim White House; Mimi's Café; JT Schmid's; Hooter's; 24-Hour Fitness; Anaheim Public Utilities; and Anaheim Chevrolet. Any other potential sponsors are encouraged to contact the City of Anaheim.



"We're grateful that the City of Anaheim is prepared to host us for this test event, and we would like to thank all of the sponsors who have come forward to help make this two-week training period possible," said Team USA Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon. "We are excited at the prospect of moving to the city of Anaheim. We are certainly intent on moving this program to Southern California, and it would be great if this developed into a long-term relationship."



About Anaheim



Founded in 1857, the City of Anaheim is one of the nation's premier municipalities and California's 10th most populous city. As the oldest and largest city in Orange County, Anaheim covers 50 square miles, with more than 340,000 residents and 2,085 employees. The municipal corporation's annual budget is $1.098 billion. The city boasts world-class organizations such as the Anaheim Angels, Boeing, CKE Restaurants, Inc., L-3 Communications, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Pacific Sunwear and The Walt Disney Company. Annually, Anaheim also welcomes millions of visitors to the city, truly making it where the world comes to live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.anaheim.net.


____________________________

CONTACTS:

John James Nicoletti
City of Anaheim
External Affairs Manager
TEL: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
[e-mail]


Paul Soriano
USA Volleyball
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
715 S. Circle Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
P: 719-228-6800
F: 719-228-6899
[e-mail]
www.usavolleyball.org

[lalalaluuuke]

moenglish said:

Anyone else hear anything about this move?

I spoke with Hugh M. when the team played in Boise and he said that they were trying really hard from their end to get down to SoCal. He said they want to be able to practice at sea level as much as possible. Few competitions will bring them to the elevation of Colorado Springs. I think that is just one of the factors though. The marketing aspect is another huge factor as was stated by a previous post.

[Wolfgang]

This visit is being made possible due to the generosity of Anaheim businesses that donated or discounted their services in order to accommodate the USA Men's team. Sponsors include the American Sports Center; Hilton Anaheim; Ameriquest Mortgage; ARAMARK; Lewis Companies; Anaheim White House; Mimi's Café; JT Schmid's; Hooter's; 24-Hour Fitness; Anaheim Public Utilities; and Anaheim Chevrolet. Any other potential sponsors are encouraged to contact the City of Anaheim.

So, did they train down in Anaheim from July 2-17? It's now July 22. What's up?

Let's hope the corporate sponsorship/discounts will still be there in the years to come; otherwise, it's back to Colorado Springs. USA Volleyball needs more fist pumpers to court the corporate $$$. It's just too crucial.

[vballmom]

They did practice there for the two weeks. It was nice for the guys from So Cal, as they could see some of their friends and family. They went back to Colorado Springs and now they are in Argentina.