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Above, Chicago Red Stars midfielder Brittany Klein challenges Washington Freedom forward Abby Wambach for the ball during a 2009 match.

 

Chicago Red Stars Debuting 2010 PUMA Uniforms on-field for First Time Friday Night
Citi Joins WPS as Newest Founding Partner

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 12, 2010) – The teams in Women’s Professional Soccer have opened preseason with scrimmages and practices this past week, while tonight will feature the first official exhibition game of preseason between the Chicago Red Stars and the Washington Freedom, who have been training at historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, FL.

The game at Hobart Park in Vero Beach, Florida, will match last year’s top-scoring team in WPS, the Freedom, against the Red Stars, who will be wearing the new 2010 PUMA kits on-field for the first time in WPS.

“It’s great to see our teams back in action with WPS Kick-Off Week just a month away,” said WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “With all the off-season signings and more talent coming into the league from international and college ranks, the on-field product will be even more world class than ever.”

With off-season roster moves, the countries represented in WPS have increased from 13 to 19. The regular season has been extended into September. Season ticket sales for the six returning teams are up 17% on the whole compared to this time last year -- with three of the six teams returning from the 2009 season tracking double their season tickets sold at this same period one year ago. The league has already seen an increase in overall sponsorships from 2009, and is projecting that four of eight teams will feature a jersey partnership this season with logos on the front of their uniforms – a two-fold increase on last year.

At the national level, Citi joins PUMA as the newest founding partner for Women’s Professional Soccer; PUMA was a founding partner during the WPS Inaugural Season. Citi recognizes and supports the opportunities that WPS has created for female athletes and women’s soccer players over the past two years and looks forward to continuing to support the growth of youth soccer in communities around the country. Solidifying its commitment to the world’s best soccer league for women, Citi’s logo will be placed on the backs of all the team uniforms below the numbers, the first-ever national jersey partnership for WPS.

“Given our global reach, Citi is thrilled to contribute to the growth of the world's most popular game here in the United States,” said Mark Ingall, Citi Managing Director, Global Strategic Media. “More and more Americans, including millions of women and girls, play and follow the game. This partnership will be an effective platform to attract and retain customers, including young women and families in local communities across the country. We are very pleased to support these tremendous athletes and their passionate fans."

“We are proud to welcome Citi into the WPS family,” said Commissioner Antonucci. “Our national partners are so vital to the growth of our league and helping spread the message that women’s professional soccer is a world class product that is here for everyone to enjoy in the long term.”

About Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS)

Headquartered in San Francisco, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is the world’s premier soccer league for women with eight teams across the United States featuring the best players from around the world. WPS completed its inaugural season in August 2009 as Sky Blue FC of New Jersey became the first-ever WPS Champions. In 2010, eight teams will each play 24-game schedules from April 10-September 12 including six original WPS teams – Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Gold Pride (Bay Area), Saint Louis Athletica, Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) and Washington Freedom – and two expansion teams Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence. The top four finishers in the regular season will qualify for the 2010 WPS Playoffs scheduled for September 19-26. For more information, visit the WPS official website at www.womensprosoccer.com or follow all the news at www.twitter.com/womensprosoccer.

About Citi

Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 140 countries. Through Citicorp and Citi Holdings, Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.