Sky Blue FC to Visit Steelstacks 6/21!
Members of Professional Women’s Soccer Team Sky Blue FC to Visit SteelStacks June 21
Players, who also play for their countries’ national teams, will sign autographs from 3-5 p.m.BETHLEHEM, PA—The public is invited to meet Sky Blue FC players Caitlin Foord of Australia, Nanase Kiryu of Japan and Monica Ocampo of Mexico – all of whom play for their respective countries’ national women’s soccer teams - at the FIFA World Cup™ SoccerFest and Viewing Party at SteelStacks this Sat., June 21. The players will appear at the Sky Blue Booth from 3-5 p.m., meeting fans and signing autographs.
The leading scorer for Sky Blue FC in 2013, Ocampo is a member of the Mexican Women’s National Team and played for her country during the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in Germany, scoring the tying goal against England in the opening round. She is a resident of Tehuixtla, Mexico and previously played for Real Halsones in Mexico.
A Sky Blue FC defender who played for the Sydney FC in Australia from 2010-’14, Foord is a resident of Lake Illawarra, Australia. In 2011, she was named the Hyundai Best Young Player of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, and she’s the youngest Australian ever to play for the Australian Woman’s National Team.
A resident of Kanagawa, Japan, Kiryu made her Japanese Women’s National Team debut during the Bicentennial Women’s Cup in Chile in 2010. From 2002-’07, she played for FC Komazawa in Japan, earning the Team MVP award in 2007. She also scored 40 goals during her five seasons with NTV Beleza of Japan's Nadeshiko League.
Sky Blue FC is currently in its second season of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and one of nine teams in the league. The NWSL is supported by the Canadian Soccer Association, Federation of Mexican Football and the United States Soccer Federation. The team plays its home games at Yurcak Field on the Busch Campus at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Prior to the NWSL, Sky Blue was a member of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) for all three seasons, beginning in 2009 with the launch of WPS, and won the inaugural WPS Championship.
Established in the fall of 2006, Sky Blue Soccer made its debut on the field with the launch of Jersey Sky Blue in the W-League of the United Soccer Leagues in 2007. Sky Blue Soccer operated Jersey Sky Blue for two successful seasons before creating a partnership with Quickstrike FC of New York, which included the transfer of the W-League franchise to that club.
The FIFA World Cup™ SoccerFest and Viewing Party, which kicked off June 12 at SteelStacks, continuesJune 19-22 with four days of soccer programming, activities and family fun, plus all the FIFA World Cup Brazil™ action on the giant LED screen. Among the activities are two Good Shepherd Pediatrics’ Soccer Clinics for Children with Disabilities June 20 at 4 and 5 p.m., street soccer activities and three vs. three games by Lehigh Valley United June 21 and soccer tennis and three vs. three games by Parkland Area Soccer Club June 22. The weekend culminates with the U.S.A. vs. Portugal World Cup match shown on the giant LED screen on the Air Products Town Square.
The FIFA World Cup™ SoccerFest and Viewing Party, which kicked off June 12 at SteelStacks, continuesJune 19-22 with four days of soccer programming, activities and family fun, plus all the FIFA World Cup Brazil™ action on the giant LED screen. Among the activities are two Good Shepherd Pediatrics’ Soccer Clinics for Children with Disabilities June 20 at 4 and 5 p.m., street soccer activities and three vs. three games by Lehigh Valley United June 21 and soccer tennis and three vs. three games by Parkland Area Soccer Club June 22. The weekend culminates with the U.S.A. vs. Portugal World Cup match shown on the giant LED screen on the Air Products Town Square.
The FIFA World Cup™ SoccerFest and Viewing Party is made possible through a partnership between Discover Lehigh Valley, The Philadelphia Union, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association, Lehigh Valley United, Lehigh Valley Youth Soccer League, PBS39, Spark and ArtsQuest. Supporters helping to make the event possible include Air Products, Men’s Health, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, The Outlets at the Sands Bethlehem and Christmas City Printing, as well as media partners Adams Outdoor, B104, WLEV, La Ola Radio and Service Electric Cable TV & Communications.
For more information, visit www.lvsoccerfest.com.