1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930 • West Palm Beach, FL 33401 • 561.233.3180 • 561.233.3125

Game On!November 2014

(Continued on Page 2)

In this Issue• Palm Beach County To

Host Two Soccer National Championships

• LPGA Lengends Tour Debut • Perfect Game A Hit For Palm

Beach County• AJGA Junior Golf Classic

Returns To PGA National

Board of Directors

Palm Beach County Will Make History in December by Hosting Two Soccer National Championships

Palm Beach County will represent the pinnacle of collegiate soccer this December when it becomes the first destination to host two college soccer national championships simultaneously. Palm Beach County will be home to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Women’s Soccer National Championships and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men’s Soccer National Championships during the first week of December. Thousands of soccer enthusiasts will travel to Palm Beach County to experience the pursuit of a national title. National Champions will be decided for both men and women teams in both the NCAA and the NAIA, creating a historic occasion for Palm Beach County.

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and the Palm Beach County Sports Commission have been selected to host the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer National Championship, known as the Women’s College Cup. The National Championship, scheduled for December 5-7, 2014, will take place at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton.

The Women’s College Cup includes the semifinal games and national championship game, culminating a tournament that features 64 teams. The NCAA Women’s Championship Tournament (field of 64) preliminary round competition will start

in late November and be conducted on the campuses of participating institutions with the winner of each single elimination round advancing to the next round. The winners of the quarterfinal contests will advance to the Women’s College Cup in Palm Beach County. The final four teams will compete on Friday, December 5th. The winners of this semi-final matchup will advance to the National Championship game on Sunday, December 7th.

The 2014 Women’s College Cup will mark the first time that an NCAA Division I National Champion will be crowned in Palm Beach County! The event also represents

the first time that Florida has been home to the Women’s College Cup since 1983, when Central Florida University was the host. The Women’s College Cup represents a celebration of soccer. In addition to hosting the “Final Four” of women’s collegiate soccer, Palm Beach County will be home to the NCAA Fan Fest, which provides an interactive experience for visitors to celebrate the National Championship. Between 10,000 and 15,000 soccer fans are expected to cheer for the Final Four of women’s soccer at FAU Stadium on December 7th.

FAU Stadium is one of the premier sports venues in Palm Beach County. This venue opened in 2011 and has a seating capacity of 30,000.

Guy Quattlebaum - PresidentPamela Linden - Vice PresidentStephanie Lanza - Treasurer

Eric CallJack DanielsNick DavidsonWilliam DavisJohn DeMottPatty DentMichelle JaminetMalachi KnowlesJason MyersSteve PolitzinerMargie WaldenJeff Zipper

Ex-Officio DirectorsMike Bauer Roger Dean StadiumRalph Jimenez Original ImpressionsKen Kennerly IGP Sports & Entertainment GroupMichelle McGann Ladies Professional Golf AssociationJason RittenberryIRG Sports & EntertainmentHoward Schnellenberger Florida Atlantic UniversityJohn Smith Duffy’s Sports GrillCarolyn Stone Palm Beach Atlantic UniversityJoe Ceravolo - EmeritusDr. Ed Eissey - Emeritus

1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930 • West Palm Beach, FL 33401 • 561.233.3180 • 561.233.3125

Soccer National Championships (Continued)

“On behalf of Florida Atlantic University, we are honored to serve as hosts for the 2014 NCAA Women’s College Cup,” said Pat Chun, FAU’s director of athletics. “We thank the Palm Beach County Sports Commission on

being great partners. The country is well aware of the great sports destination we have become. This will be yet another opportunity to showcase our wonderful campus and beautiful community.”

The community benefits will be widespread. Thousands of alumni, students, and soccer enthusiasts will travel to Palm Beach County and Florida Atlantic University to experience the Women’s College Cup. The event will be televised live on ESPNU, showcasing Palm Beach County and Florida Atlantic University to a national audience.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men’s Soccer National Championships will be hosted by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission in conjunction with Northwood University. The sixteen-team championship will be played at Hilltopper Stadium and the adjoining Seacrest Soccer Complex in Delray Beach on December 1-6, 2014.

“We are thrilled to have our Men’s Soccer National Championship return to Florida,” said Jim Carr, NAIA President and CEO. “We are confident that the Palm Beach County Sports Commission and Northwood University will go the extra mile in making the National Championship an outstanding experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans.” The state of Florida has welcomed the men’s soccer national championship on five prior occasions, most recently in 2005 and 2006 in Daytona Beach.

Hilltopper Stadium and the Seacrest Soccer Complex, which are owned by the City of Delray Beach, have hosted numerous athletic events in a variety of sports including: soccer, lacrosse, and flag and tackle football. The complex has also served as the venue for major collegiate sporting events.

The 56th Annual NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championships will feature the top 16 teams in the NAIA. In order to make the tournament, 32 teams participate in qualifying (opening round)

games held on campus at participating schools. These 32 teams are comprised of 24 automatic qualifiers awarded to conference/independent and regular-season champions, and eight at-large teams selected by the NAIA Men’s Soccer Modified Ratings Percentage Index. The 16 winning teams in the qualifiers advance to Palm Beach County as the Championship host site. The opening rounds will take place on December 1-3 and the semifinal games will take place on December 5th. The NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship game will take place on December 6th at 3pm.

The NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championships will provide a significant tourism impact to Palm Beach County. The 16 teams will bring over 350 soccer players along with students, alumni, and soccer fans from across the nation. The tourism impact will be felt countywide.

“This is a great opportunity for Northwood University to add additional value to the Palm Beach County community, as the games will bring tourism dollars to the area, and our student-athletes will be conducting a Champions of Character event that will involve mentoring local students regarding the NAIA’s Five Core values of Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Sportsmanship and Servant Leadership,” said Nick Davidson, Northwood University’s Director of Athletics.

Two national champions in soccer will be crowned in Palm Beach County with the NAIA men’s soccer champion being revealed on December 6th and the NCAA women’s soccer champion being revealed on December 7th. This will be a momentous occasion for the Palm Beach County sports landscape.

“Very few communities have the privilege of hosting a collegiate national championship. We are excited and honored that Palm Beach County will be home to the NCAA Women’s Soccer National Championship while hosting the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship,” said George Linley, Executive Director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. Hosting two of the most prestigious collegiate soccer events in the United States will transform Palm Beach County into a hotbed for soccer.

Thousands of soccer participants, including athletes, coaches, media, students, alumni, and fans will make Palm Beach County their home in December. The influx of visitors will provide a significant boost to the local economy by filling hotel rooms and generating new revenues for restaurants, attractions, and the local business community. For more information, including event schedules and ticket information, visit www.palmbeachsports.com

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LPGA Legends Tour’s Walgreens Charity Championship Debut in Palm Beach County

The LPGA Legends Tour is the official senior tour of the LPGA. The tour began in 2000 by LPGA professionals to showcase the talents of some of the greatest women’s golfers of all time. The 2014 Walgreens Charity Championship is one of eight scheduled LPGA Legends

Tour stops, taking place at the Seagate Country Club in Delray Beach from November 6-9, 2014. The professional event itself will consist of a 36-hole tournament featuring 48 LPGA legends and up to 12 local qualifiers. Prior to the two-day weekend tournament, the event will feature a local qualifying tournament, pro-am event, golf clinics for women, and tie in with Walgreens executive and vendor meetings. This event represents the final tournament of the LPGA Legends season. In addition to the world class golfers, the event will bring over 250 Walgreens executives to Delray Beach.

Players participating in the Walgreens Charity Championship include hometown favorites Beth Daniel and Meg Mallon, both of Delray Beach, and native Floridian Laurie Rinker of Stuart. Others living in Florida include: JoAnne Carner (Palm Beach); Judy Dickinson (Tequesta); Lorie Kane (Orlando); Marilyn Lovander (Gainesville); Nancy Scranton (St. Augustine) and Jan Stephenson (New Port Richey). In addition, eight LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famers have committed to play: Amy Alcott, Pat Bradley, Donna Caponi, JoAnne Carner, Beth Daniel, Sandra Haynie, Nancy Lopez and Patty Sheehan.

The field will compete for a purse of $250,000, with the winner taking home a prize of $30,000. A Senior Legends Division within the tournament will be offered for players 63 and over and will include Blalock, Caponi, Dickinson, Haynie, Sally Little and Sandra Palmer.

This event complements Palm Beach County’s position as Florida’s golf capital. Considering the room block created by corporate executives at Walgreens along with the golf participants and enthusiasts, this Legends Tour event could create close to 1,000 room nights and $500,000 of economic impact.

Advance tickets are only available at Walgreens stores at $10 per day per adult. Full-price tickets at the gate are $15 each day. For more information, visit www.thelegendstour.com

The Perfect Game World Championships Hit a Homerun

Palm Beach County continues to be the premier destination for amateur baseball in the state of Florida. Over 1,500 athletes participating on 85 elite travel baseball teams visited Palm Beach County to compete in one of the most competitive high school age baseball tournaments in the world. The Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) World Championships returned to Roger Dean Stadium for the 13th time in 14 years. The event took place from October 23-27, 2014. Roger Dean Stadium is a world class baseball complex and is home to the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals minor league teams and the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball teams during spring training.

The Perfect Game WWBA World Championships is known simply as “Jupiter” amongst the amateur baseball community. This elite tournament has seen 410 of its alumni move on to the major leagues; 3,338 of them drafted and more than 9,000 make college commitments. The Perfect Game WWBA World Championships provided a showcase for prospects while they performed in front of nearly 1,000 professional scouts and college recruiters over the course of five days. Furthermore, this is also Perfect Game’s premier national team tournament. The top travel ball organizations from across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada will have teams at the premier, invitation-only event.

In addition to showcasing an array of exciting baseball games, this event brought Palm Beach County significant economic benefits. Over 3,500 room nights and $1.2 million in direct visitor spending was produced for Palm Beach County.

Perfect Game USA is the largest amateur baseball scouting service, hosting more than 100 showcases and tournaments each year. The majority of the players scouted within Perfect Game USA are high school baseball players from the age of 14-18. However, college players and free agents are invited to attend showcases to hone their talents and abilities and have a better opportunity to play in the majors.

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1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 930West Palm Beach, FL 33401

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Corporate Partners

The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Polo™ Golf Junior Classic, which has been conducted annually since 1978, is one of the premier tournaments on the American Junior Golf Association’s season and will take place at

PGA National Resort & Spa from November 22-28, 2014. The 156-player invitation-only field is made up of boys and girls, ages 12-18, from 25 states and 12 foreign countries. The tournament is 36 holes of stroke play with a cut to the low 32 boys and 32 girls qualifying for match play, which will determine overall champions in the Boys and Girls Divisions. Former champions include Stewart Cink (1989), Tiger Woods (1991), Paula Creamer (2002), Grace Park (1994, 1996) and Morgan Pressel (2004).

The AJGA is dedicated to the overall growth and development of

young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. Overall, the AJGA conducts more than 80 tournaments and 45 qualifiers around the country in a calendar year. The success of this organization is evident, considering that more than 200 AJGA alumni play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have earned more than 350 tour victories.

The AJGA Polo Golf Junior Classic relocated from the Gimm Reunion Resort in Orlando to PGA National in 2009. In addition to elevating Palm Beach County’s position as an elite golf destination, the Polo Golf Junior Classic will provide an enormous economic boost. With over 160 golf courses and optimal year-round climate, Palm Beach County looks forward to continuing to host quality amateur golf tournaments.

The AJGA Polo Junior Golf Classic Swings Into Palm Beach County