June 23, 2009 
Contact: Mike Christie, Assistant Commissioner

USA South Soccer Tournaments Heading to Martinsville, Virginia

(FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.) - The USA South Athletic Conference has announced that the Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority will host its 2009 Men's and Women's Soccer Tournament semifinals and finals. The contests will be held at the Smith River Sports Complex in Martinsville, Virginia on November 6 and 7. This will be the first of a two-year commitment as the 2010 semifinals and finals will also be held in Martinsville. The first round games of the tournaments will continue to be held on the campuses of the higher seeded team.

The tournament events will kickoff with an opening ceremony held the night prior to the semifinal matches. At this event, student-athletes will be honored as the All-Conference awards are presented. The games will be played at the brand new Smith River Sports Complex, conveniently located off of Route 58/220, just south of downtown Martinsville. After 14 months of construction, the complex is set to open to the public on July 1 and hold its grand opening on August 23. The complex contains three grass fields and two synthetic FieldTurf surfaces. The USA South Tournament contests will be played on the FieldTurf.

Rita Wiggs, USA South Commissioner, stated, "The Conference is extremely excited to partner with the City of Martinsville and the Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority in the hosting of our soccer tournaments. Dennis Toney and his staff did a phenomenal job in preparing to host this event and welcoming us to the Martinsville community. We thank them for their efforts and look forward to this joint venture that will provide our student-athletes with memories to last a lifetime."

Kim Strable, Director of Athletics at Greensboro College and President of the USA South, shared, "The Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority is serious about bringing events like this to their area and the USA South is quite pleased with this win-win relationship. They are forward-thinking in Martinsville and have developed a first rate soccer complex that can be an excellent collegiate championship venue."

Dennis Toney, the Executive Director of the Southern Virginia Recreation Facilities Authority, said, "We see this as a big event for the city of Martinsville, Henry Country as a whole and the complex itself. This will be our first full-fledge tournament held at the facility. We feel it is a great partnership with the USA South and hope it will continue for many years."

Specific game times for the contests will be released at a later date. To view more information about the Smith River Sports Complex, please visit the following website: http://www.southernvirginiasports.com. The 2010 tournament semifinals and finals are scheduled to take place at the Smith River Sport Complex on November 5 and 6.