SECAUCUS, N.J. - Red Bull New York announced today that the Red Bulls will train at Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ during the 2007 Major League Soccer season. Prior to the season and the team's arrival, Red Bull New York will completely fund a substantial renovation of Montclair State's Dioguardi Field and its field house.
"By establishing a high quality, professional training facility that will be the home of our First Team for 2007, we have taken another small step towards our franchise vision of becoming a world-class soccer club," said Red Bull New York Managing Director Marc de Grandpre. "We look forward to developing a mutually-beneficial partnership not only with Montclair State's students and faculty, but also with the local community."
"Having the proper infrastructure in place is an important part of building a successful club," said Red Bull New York Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena. "The renovated facilities at Montclair State will be a great resource for both our team and the University."
"We are very pleased to host the Red Bulls at MSU during the next year," said Karen L. Pennington, vice president for Student Development and Campus Life. "This partnership will be of great advantage to both our students and the University community by providing positive professional athletic role models as well as the opportunity for our soccer players to spend time with professional players who can help them gain additional skills. This activity, coupled with the enhancement of our field and field house is representative of the positive relationship that can be gained by public and private entities working together to achieve a common good."
Red Bull New York will start renovating what is currently known as Dioguardi Field by replacing the grass field, installing an irrigation and drainage system and fencing, and relocating track runners from their current location to the end of the field. In addition to the work being done on the field, Red Bull New York will also renovate the field house located nearby, constructing a locker room, equipment room, training room, weight room, meeting room, player's lounge, shower and bathroom facilities, and coaches' offices.
The Red Bulls, whose agreement with Montclair State University will last one year, with an option for a second year, will have exclusive use of the field and field house facilities. When the Red Bulls move to their future permanent training facility at a location to be announced, Montclair State will inherit the field and field house.
About the New York Red Bulls: Coached by former United States Men's National Team Manager Bruce Arena, the Red Bulls recently signed Claudio Reyna, widely considered one of the greatest American soccer players in the country's history. The Red Bulls begin their preseason camp in Bradenton, FL on Saturday, February 3. Off the field, last September, the team broke ground on their own 25,000-seat soccer stadium, Red Bull Park, in Harrison, NJ.
About Montclair State University: Montclair State University is New Jersey's second largest public university. It offers the advantages of a large university--a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum with a global focus, a broad variety of superior graduate programs through the doctoral level, and a diverse faculty and student body--combined with a small college's attention to students. For more information, go to www.montclair.edu.
