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06/28/2007
DeMarini Becomes Official Partner of the KFC World Cup of
Softball
Partnership part of aggressive campaign by Wilson/DeMarini
to make a play for the fast pitch market
CHICAGO, IL - June 28, 2007 - Wilson/DeMarini announced
today that they have made an agreement to be an official
partner of the 3rd Annual KFC World Cup of Softball. The
World Cup of Softball is hosted by the Amateur Softball
Association of America (ASA) and is title sponsored by KFC.
The tournament will take place in Oklahoma City, July 12-16
at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex.
Wilson/DeMarini's partnership with the World Cup is part of
an overall campaign by the brands to elevate their position
in the fast pitch industry. Last fall, Wilson/DeMarini
signed Cat Osterman - recognized as the world's premier
fastpitch pitcher. "With Cat Osterman, the top player in the
world, on our team and now a partnership with the sport's
top event - - the World Cup of softball, we are making a
serious commitment to fast pitch," says Kevin Pate, Director
of Global Marketing: Baseball-Softball for Wilson Sporting
Goods. Wilson/DeMarini is also releasing a line of fastpitch
bats (including the DeMarini Phenix) as well as a line of
Cat Osterman gear.
"As a long time leader in the slow pitch category, Wilson
has displayed a dedication to fast pitch softball that we
haven't seen in quite some time," says Kelly McKeown, ASA
Director of Marketing. "By signing Cat Osterman and helping
to make events like the KFC World Cup of Softball a
commercial success, Wilson/DeMarini is poised to take over
the top spot in the sport." As part of the deal,
Wilson/DeMarini will have an inventory of: 30 spots
featuring Cat Osterman, rotating home plate signage, outfield
signage and an interactive display area on site.
The KFC World Cup of Softball features the top women's fast
pitch teams in the world including the defending champion,
USA, along with 2005 World Cup Champion Japan, and women's
national teams from China, Canada, Venezuela and Dominican
Republic.
The ESPN networks are the exclusive domestic home of the KFC
World Cup of Softball and feature over 12 hours of live
coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 highlighted by multiple prime
time windows including the Championship Game on Monday, July
16 at 9 PM ET.
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the
National Governing Body of softball in the United States and
a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has
become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and
now sanctions competition in every state through a network
of 84 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few
hundred teams in the early days to over 230,000 teams today,
representing a membership of more than three million. For
more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.
Chicago-based Wilson Team Sports Company, a division of Amer
Sports, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of
sports equipment. The company designs, manufactures and
distributes advanced equipment that helps players improve
performance. Wilson's core categories include Football,
Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Bats, Volleyball, Soccer,
Youth Sports, Uniforms/Apparel, Golf, Footwear, and Racquet
Sports (Tennis, Racquetball, Squash, Badminton and Platform
Tennis).
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