Seattle Wolves announce 2009 PDL franchise

The speculation is over...Seattle Wolves FC are a part of the USL!

(Tukwila, WA)— Seattle Wolves Football Club today announced the launch of a Premier Development League franchise (PDL) for the 2009 season. The club’s newest team will begin league play in May, and play all home matches at the Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, WA.

The new PDL team is a joint venture between Seattle Wolves FC and Crossfire Premier Soccer Club of Redmond, WA, one of the top youth soccer organizations in the United States.

“We are very excited about adding this PDL franchise to the Seattle Wolves FC system, and continuing our mission of developing the best professional football talent in the area,” said Seattle Wolves FC General Manager, Andrew Opatkiewicz. “Our partnership with Crossfire could not be more natural, as they have a history of producing national team caliber youth players. With our pooled resources and talents, this team should be able to compete straight out of the gate.”

Seattle Wolves Football Club operates a tiered system of teams that spans the elite amateur and semi-professional levels. Players include top youth talent, elite college players, and aspiring, retired, or offseason professionals. The new PDL side will join Seattle Wolves teams already in the Pacific Coast Soccer League and Starfire Premier Soccer League. In addition to league play, the club will be busy with a full slate of friendlies and tournaments, including possible participation in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup against higher division USL or Major League Soccer opposition.

Seattle Wolves FC Technical Director, Alex Weaver believes the addition of the new team can be a substantial benefit to the long term success of the club. “Having the opportunity to bolster the number of elite college players in our system is key, as you can only have so many players on one roster. Adding the PDL side will allow us to maximize the advantages of our tiered system, and encourage a healthy level of intra-club competition that will only benefit the development of our players,” commented Weaver.

With the addition of Seattle Wolves FC, the number of PDL teams in Washington State now totals 5, with teams already in Tacoma, Bremerton, Yakima, and Spokane. These Washington teams represent half of the total number in the Northwest Division, with the remaining 5 sides in Oregon or British Columbia, Canada.

Ticket sales for all Seattle Wolves FC matches go on sale in February, with prices as low as $4 per game. For more information, visit www.SeattleWolvesFC.com .