Ziga-Zoga's Footballers Blog (soccer)

Checking in at the Texas Pro Soccer Fest.

Hey all, I'm Eddie Griffin. I regularly write for Soccerlens, but I'll be covering the Texas Pro Soccer Festival for Ziga-Zoga live from the San Antonio area.

The games don't underway on Wednesday night, when two-time defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo take on Toronto FC at 6, and DC United go up against Chivas USA at 8:30.  So If you're in the area, try to make it to at least one of the doubleheaders on Wednesday night, Friday night, and Sunday afternoon at Steele High School in Cibolo.

While the action will be going on then, you can also come out to Soccer International in Schertz to see the teams practice at 10 A.M. and 4 P.M.   

If you need directions to either place or want more info on the event, just go to texasprosoccerfest.com. 

Keep coming back all of this week for event coverage, from videos, interviews, articles, and more. We talked to Jaime Moreno and Coach Tom Soehn of D.C. United today after practice, and we'll have those interviews posted up later today, so keep on the lookout for those, and more.

P.S. - A word of advice to those who'll be coming out to the games and/or practices.  Thanks to the wind, you might be in for a chill, so it might be a smart idea to bring a jacket or a sweater!

Odiogo Text to Audio Feature

We have been looking at some new things to do in order to bring better content to our readers and community at Ziga-Zoga.  So, we are trying out the new Odiogo Text to Audio feature to see what people think.

Personally, it is kinda cool and a bit weird at the same time.  If we all had more time I'd podcast the text posts myself but, until we get to that point we will just have to see how this works.  What I think would be really cool is if we could change the voice or do voice recognition.  Meaning, I could record my voice or Chris, or Steve or Ed could and then based on who writes the post select their voice.  Better yet, if you as a reader could select the language to listen and read in that would be interesting.

If you have an opinion let me know.

Cheers,

Jason

ZigaZoga.com is Alive

Well, it is official - ZigaZoga.com is alive!  With the birth of a new company geared to help strengthen and bring together soccer enthusiasts from all walks of life, we hope you will logon and begin the journey with us.

 

NSCAA & MLS Draft Opening

The 60th Annual NSCAA Convention opened up last night.  You would not believe the massive amount of products and specialized services specifically designed for the coaching and youth soccer community.  There is certainly an ocean of knowledge to be shared.  Some is certainly great and some not so great.  Over the next couple of days and weeks we will highlight some of the information we think could be useful for you.

Right now, we are awaiting the opening of the MLS Draft.  What a great spectacle especially with the recent announcement of Beckham and the anticipation of the new upcoming stars about to selected.  The MLS Fans are here in their kits, faces painted and all.  Stay tuned ....

Sakiewicz joins Ziga Zoga

We are pleased to announce that Ed Sakiewicz has officially joined the Ziga Zoga team.  Sakiewicz is a dynamic soccer professional who adds depth to the ZZ executive team much like the central midfielder does for its starting 11.  Ed brings over 17 years of entrepreneurial experience with specialized skills in developing, organizing and managing strategic teams.  Ed's expertise lies in the areas of start ups, nonprofit leadership, real estate development, sports marketing, online higher education, E-learning and strategic planning to name a few.

The Sakiewicz name is synonymous with professional soccer in the US, particularly MLS.  Ed’s brother Nick, one of the founding executives of the league, is the past President of the MetroStars (now known as the Red Bulls) and now serves as President of AEG NY, spearheading the new soccer-specific stadium in Harrison, NJ.  Nick serves on MLS’ Business Development Committee. 

The Sakiewicz family is all about soccer, serving both the amateur and professional communities.  Ed has also developed an advanced and comprehensive understanding of the soccer-specific stadium development dynamic by conducting a unique one-of-a-kind study for his doctoral thesis, entitled, “A Comparative Study of Enterprise Risk Management and Decision Making Criteria Used in Developing Soccer-Specific Stadiums for Major League Soccer”.

Ed is a former professional developmental player from Europe who participated with 1st and 2nd Division teams in Poland and Denmark and played his DI ball at Loyola College in Maryland.  Dr. Sakiewicz holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Management with a Certificate in Entrepreneurship, a Master’s degree in Organizational Development, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.  Ed resides in San Antonio in the Alamo Heights area with his wife, Jennyfer, and three soccer players Eddie, Brenton and Alek.

Meeting with Jon Lebkowsky

Today we met with Jon Lebkowksy and Jeff Kramer -- Polycot's CEO & Technical Director -- to discuss Ziga Zoga's strategic direction and vision.  Since Matt went off and got hitched, WELL, we just have not seen too much of him lately - just joking, CONGRATULATIONS MATT!

So, we are looking ahead and trying to establish the framework for what Ziga Zoga can become.  Moreover, we will be conducting some user research here very soon for development and implemenation purposes. 

We also toured Frank Robles' San Antonio NAP Center (Network Access Point) in order to understand the potential benefits that Ziga Zoga might realize from such a tremendous facility.  More importantly, fostering relationships with thought leaders and technologist like Jon and Frank provide tremenouds opportunities for Ziga Zoga.

Interestingly, Jon, Matt and Frank all share the passion for the game and are very excited about what may be ahead for Ziga Zoga.  For those in the soccer community unfamiliar with Jon and Frank, Jon is a leading authority on computer-mediated communications, virtual communities, community technology, and online social networks.  Frank developed the original idea for metropolitan gigabit Ethernet (GigE) based Carriers, and founded the industry leader Yipes Communications.  Ziga Zoga is looking to draw upon their knowledge and savvy technology minds for the advancement and growth of the soccer community.

So, stay tunned!

Ciao bella,

Jason

Steve Arters joins the Ziga Zoga Team

Ziga Zoga is proud to announce the appointment of Steve Arters as its Chief Marketing Officer.  Steve will be responsible for Ziga Zoga's strategic marketing and communications.

Steve’s expertise stretches from the board room to the newsroom with 12 years of Agency experience before spending more than 10 years in the media.  His specialization is utilizing marketing and media to produce a dynamic synergy to brand products, companies and individuals. 

He has been an integral part of advertising/marketing agencies in Dallas and San Antonio after being a news/sports writer and editor for eight years with United Press International and two years with The Associated Press. 

He has worked on national, regional and local accounts and his background includes automotive, educational, financial, food service, healthcare, medical and sports marketing, including working with professional teams and organizations, collegiate athletic conferences and various companies.

Steve, who graduated from West Virginia University, and his wife, Suzanne, who graduated from the University of Texas, have three sons, Steve, Sean and Scott – all top soccer players in their age groups.  Steve is on the board of the San Antonio Metropolitan Youth Soccer Institute (SAMYS) and a longtime supporter of growing the game in the San Antonio community.

MLS is Growing Up Fast

For those of you following Major League Soccer news, this years offseason has proven that MLS is definetly here to stay as it is showing consistent signs of growth and stablization.  There is certainly something to be said for MLS when you have seen over the past two years significant investment interest in the league coming from overseas and across our southern borders.

To mention a few, Chivas USA with its Mexican infulence, Red Bull buying the Metrostars with its Austrian interest and now England's Chelsea -- the EPL's rock of a club -- inking a major deal with AEG that invloves MLS Champions, the LA Galaxy.  A few years back I was quoted in the Sports Business Journal defending the MLS that, "I wonder what sport corporate sponsors would support when they begin to see the grassroots soccer community rallying and supporting MLS and buying tickets to watch their teams".  It now appears that the rest of the world recognizes the opportunity for soccer in America with MLS.  See the story below.

CHELSEA TEAM UP WITH AEG IN US PUSH
2006-Mar-30 05:45

English Premier League champions Chelsea have become the latest club to make a play for the US marketplace after agreeing a big deal with a number of Major League Soccer sides.

The London club’s chief executive Peter Kenyon said it had penned a strategic alliance with AEG – operators of four teams and developers of a number of existing and in-progress stadiums.

The partnership will begin in the summer of 2007 with the staging of a tournament, which will take place every two years, involving Chelsea and a host MLS club.

The alliance with AEG will also include a club-to-club relationship between Chelsea and MLS champions LA Galaxy, an agreement to enhance and market the Chelsea brand in the US and promotion of grass roots football activity.

Kenyon explained: “This is a unique, ground-breaking relationship that not only demonstrates our commitment to the development of US soccer, but will also help Chelsea work towards its aim of becoming the most popular European club in the US, one of our key target markets.”

Chelsea's business affairs director, Paul Smith, added: “Chelsea's involvement in US football will be from top to bottom. We will not just fly in and fly out for the tournaments.

“By building the profile and interest in Chelsea in this way we are confident we can expand our business and build a platform for increasing our fan base, merchandising and sponsorship opportunities.”

Newsdesk
newsdesk@sportbusiness.com
Source: ©sportbusiness.com

Zogger Update

Hello Zoggers out there!  If you're following Ziga Zoga you may have seen some recent updates to the site with the various News categories on the right column.  Here you will find the most recent news updates as released by FIFA, US Men's & Women's Soccer, Major League Soccer, and Fox Soccer.

We've been  busy working on a few things off-line that will be announced soon such as, we're looking for journalists and soccer bloggers across the country who have a sincere and passionate interest to report on what is happening in their community or region.  We're also looking for some great stories to cover that you may know of.  For instance, you may know of a rising star player who deserves to receive some coverage; there may be an outstanding coach that is great with the kids that you believe should be recognized; or there may be a dedicated soccer Mom or Dad out there that you believe deserves some praise.  Well, we would love to hear about them so feel free to email your ideas to me, Jason .  Moreover, if you have anything at all to share - please don't hesitate to contact me.

Speaking of what you think, have you heard about joga.com ?  If not, visit the site and tell us what you think.  Myself, I am interested to see the interactivity and how Joga can help American players - it should be interesting.

Lastly, as mentioned previously, we're working on our logo and hope to share it with you soon for your input.  We are really looking forward to this and cannot wait to hear what your thoughts are. 

Stay tuned....

Ciao,

Jason

Torneo Mexicana

Today Mexican soccer's living legend Enrique Borja announced the creation of an International Soccer Tournament -- Torneo Mexicana -- sponsored by Mexicana Airlines.  The Under 19 boys and girls tournament will take place in 14 US cities to include:  San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Miami, Dallas, San Antonio, Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Bakersfield, Sacramento, San Jose and Denver.

Teams will compete at a local level for a chance to win an all expense paid trip to Mexico City for the championship.  Borja said, "I am honored to be working in conjunction with Mexicana de Aviacion.  This tournament solidifies Mexicana's commitment to the communities it flies to, bringing youngsters a valuable alternative of healthy recreation".

Having the opportunity to sit down with such a renown soccer star, I was intrigued on several levels.  When asked about the impact an event like this can have on kids Borja stated, "this is an enormous opportunity for kids to showcase their talent to professional scouts on a World stage - its and opportunity for kids to catch their dream".  When asked about the importance of the growth of soccer in the U.S., "this event is a chance to bring our countries together as family.  Soccer is a game of values, passion and most of all its about teamwork and community.  Our countries are neighbors and we want this event to offer families the opportunity to come together for the love of sport and togetherness.  This event is not just a one time thing - we want this to grow and build up the soccer community, its just as important for Mexico for the U.S. game to grow as it is the U.S.  This builds more talent to draw on for both of our professional leagues".

Samuel Cantu, Regional Sales Manager for Mexicana, supported Borja, "for Mexicana this event presents an opportunity for us to support our community and bring people together.  We are excited to be part of such a great event that is providing a great opportunity for our youth.  The next Pele or Borja is out there and we want to do everything we can to support the growth of the game".

I could not resist asking Mr. Borja about Mexico's chances in the upcoming World Cup, "so much attention is given to the draw and the groups.  When a country competes at this level everyone is good - anyone can win on any given day.  For Mexico, it is most important to win the 1st game and take the mindset of a team, not individuals.  If we play as a country with spirit I believe Mexico can be in the top 4 competing for the Cup".

So kids, parents, and coaches if you want the opportunity to, "catch the dream" as Enrique Borja lived - its all here for your taking.  For more information on the tournament of a lifetime visit Torneo Mexicana .