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[ MEDIA RELEASE ] |
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[ 03/31/2004 ]
To: Harford County Regional Media/for immediate release
From: Greater Harford Soccer Club/Dr. Jeffrey Hess [ hessvrh@verizon.net]
Subject: Area Soccer Club Retains Consultant
(Harford County, MD) The Greater Harford Soccer Club [GHSC] recently announced that they had retained Colone Associates [ www.colassoc.com ] as project/program management consultant towards the development and operation of the proposed Greater Harford Soccer Park. The Club has for some time advocated the development of more soccer fields in the County to meet the growing county-wide interest and demand for playing soccer, particularly among area youth.
Colone Associates, based in upstate New York, offers comprehensive soccer services that include the management of events and activities, along with providing consulting services to organizations seeking to develop soccer fields’ projects. The company conducted a feasibility assessment on a proposed Harford County project and recently presented its findings to soccer club officials. The report was based on a multi-part development plan that would lead to the establishment of between 11to15 brand new state of the art soccer fields; two proposed to feature synthetic surfaces. The assessment revealed that pending securing a site or sites for the project, creating a definitive project site plan, and expanding the volunteer leadership for the project, that there was the potential of generating upwards of $4.5 million through a defined capital campaign. A specific capital development timeline could not be established at this time. Dr. Jeff Hess, a Bel Air veterinarian, the prime mover of the project, is president of the Greater Harford Soccer Park and chairs its development committee.
Dr. Hess, known throughout the region for his deep commitment to Harford County soccer and the GHSC, recently said; “the County deserves this project.” He continued, “currently, fields and places to play are limited in both inventory and in quality. We need the chance to better serve the families of Harford County. We want to raise the overall quality of our youth soccer programs and that means top quality fields.” He went on, “we want every soccer player in the County to have the opportunity to play on new fields and to experience our programs.”
The feasibility assessment presents the proposed new soccer complex as a regionally significant facility, that in addition to meeting county-wide program needs, that it will also emerge as host site for special regional and national events. It could have major economic impact on Harford County, further promoting the area as a year around team sport travel destination as a non competitive compliment to the programs held at the Ripken Baseball Center.
Albert L. Colone, president of Colone Associates, prior to forming his own sport business company, held the position of executive director of the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York from 1979 to 1997. He pioneered efforts towards creating the definition and concept for the Hall and subsequently, helped found and establish the National Soccer Museum and its allied educational programs. Colone was most active and inspirational in the long range plan and early development of the Hall's Wright National Soccer Campus, that ultimately boasted a capital price tag of $22 million.
Since 2001, Colone Associates became project/program consultants to the Chenango “Chargers” Soccer Club [CSC] towards the development of a three field, $750,000 “David L. Emerson Soccer Farm in Oxford/Chenango County, New York. The facility expected to be completed in 2004 is the host site for the Nice n Easy"New York/New York Summer Series” and Collegiate Soccer Preview. In 2003, Colone Associates launched the “Great” Lehigh Valley Soccer Festival” played annually over the Labor Day Weekend as the ultimate soccer family vacation in Allentown/Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
For more information contact:
Dr. Jeffrey Hess
hessvrh@verizon.net
410/515-6651
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