2009 Gay Soccer World Championship Opens in Washington D.C. on Sunday June 14, 2009

WASHINGTON, June 12 /PRNewswire/ — The International Gay & Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) will open the 2009 Gay Soccer World Championship (www.iglfa2009.org) in the Washington D.C. area on Sunday morning June 14, 2009. The 2009 Gay Soccer World Championship is being hosted by the Federal Triangles Soccer Club (FTSC) of Washington, D.C. This marks the first time the tournament has been held in the United States since 2004 when it was held in San Francisco. This also marks the second time that this tournament is being hosted in the Washington D.C. area by FTSC.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090612/DC31930)

Related Video: http://tr.im/iglfa09video

This year the IGLFA 2009 Official Gay Soccer World Championship tournament coincides with the end of Capital Gay Pride. The Capital Pride organization is a partner with IGLFA 2009. The 2009 IGLFA Tournament is also being supported by both the D.C. United of Major League Soccer and the Washington Freedom of the Women’s Professional Soccer League. Both the D.C. United and Washington Freedom will have players signing autographs this Sunday, June 14th at the Capital Pride Festival.

The preliminary round-robin matches for the tournament will take place on Monday June 15th, Tuesday June 16th, and Thursday June 18th at the Maryland SoccerPlex. The Quarterfinal, Semi-Final, and Championship games will be played at Trinity Washington University on Friday June 19th and Saturday June 20th. All games are free and open to spectators.

Quick Facts about the IGLFA 2009 Official Gay Soccer World Championship:

• Number of teams – 26
• Number of Countries with players in the tournament – 12
• Number of US States represented – 23
• Number of registered participants as of June 12, 2009 – 529
• Countries Represented in the tournament: United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Argentina, Italy, and Norway

Quotes:

“D.C. United is proud to support the upcoming IGLFA World Championship this summer as well as the Federal Triangles Soccer Club of Washington D.C. and its efforts to bring players and teams from around the world to our city. The D.C. United fan base is a diverse, vibrant, and passionate demographic truly representative of the word, ‘United.’ Our supporters are all ‘Black and Red’ regardless of race, creed, color, nationality or sexual orientation.”

Stephen Zack, Executive Vice President, D.C. United

“We are proud to the support the IGLFA 2009 World Championship and congratulate the host club, the Federal Triangles Soccer Club of Washington, D.C. for bringing this tournament to our city and world class soccer to our pitches. The word ‘Freedom’ has a different meaning to everyone. The Washington Freedom supports diversity and the culture of being free to be who you are regardless of your race, creed, color, sexual orientation or national heritage.”

Mark Washo, President and General Manager, Washington Freedom

“IGLFA 2009 will put the international spotlight on DC’s dynamic sports scene and vibrant GLBT community. Both international and GLBT markets have proven to be big spenders when traveling, so the image and economic benefits are significant for the city.”

Bill Hanbury, president and CEO of Destination DC

“We are thrilled to have the prestigious IGLFA tournament returning to our wonderful city. We are confident that the world class fields and facilities we are providing will make the experience a memorable one for players and fans alike. The men and women traveling to our city to take part in the Championship will find a city rich in history, a region full of exciting sights, and a culture of acceptance that will make them feel welcome.”

Jim Ensor, 2008 President, Federal Triangles Soccer Club

About The Federal Triangles Soccer Club

Federal Triangles Soccer Club (FTSC) (http://www.federaltriangles.org) is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes to promote the growth of soccer and foster a sense of community for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and GLBT-friendly players. We pursue these goals by providing a venue for the play of soccer where we encourage players of all levels to participate and improve their skills through club-sponsored (and free) soccer academy sessions, pick-up play, teams to compete in local soccer leagues, and in local, national, and international tournaments. FTSC proudly maintains membership in the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) and is host to the 2009 IGLFA World Championships. (www.iglfa2009.org)

About the International Gay Lesbian Football Association

The International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) shall foster and augment the self respect of gay women and men throughout the world, and engender respect and understanding from the non-gay world, through the medium of football (soccer). Additionally we work to establish an international network of football clubs and to promote physical and tactical understanding of the game of football. (www.iglfa.org)

SOURCE Federal Triangles Soccer Club