NEWS RELEASE
April 8, 2003

Rooks Continue in Super Y-League with U-15 Team

Hope to Build Upon Last Year's Success

The Chico Rooks will once again be part of the Super Y-League (SYL), entering a U-15 boys team for the 2003 season. Hoping to build upon last year's success are coaches Joel Hurd and Tony Longuiera. The team boasts many returning players, and some highly skilled newcomers have enhanced the caliber of the group. The team is confident it will improve upon last year's 5-7 mark in this extremely competitive league.

The Y-League is modeled after the youth programs of the top teams in the world. These teams provide aspiring young players a professional training environment and intense competition on a weekly basis. Well over three hundred teams will participate in the Y-League in 2003. The objective of the league is to identify top youth players in the country and prepare them to play at the collegiate and professional level both here and abroad.

In March, over sixty area soccer players attended tryouts for the Rooks U-15 Y-League team. "Though the numbers were about the same, the quality of players was better," said Rooks general manager Mitch Esparza. "It's encouraging to see the level of play at this age. Again, we had many players from outlying communities such Corning, Gridley, Orland, Paradise, and Oroville." The squad will consist of an active roster of twenty players with a younger developmental group of four to six players.

The Rooks hope that many of the U-15 players will eventually don the Rooks colors as members of the adult squad. Dave Stahl sees the team as great opportunity for local player development. "Our long term objective is to develop local talent so eventually most of the players on the Rooks senior team will have come through our program. I'm confident that several of the players on this year's U-15 team will be playing for me in two or three years," said Stahl.

The SYL team is solely funded by the Rooks organization. Players are selected on their ability and commitment. There's no financial obligation for parents. "Taking money out of the equation makes it possible for every talented youth soccer player in the area to try out for the U-15 team," said Stahl.

Returning coaches Joel Hurd and Tony Longueira will once again take the helm for the Rooks Y-League team. Hurd is a local product who has been a Rook since 1993. He played at the University of Washington for four years, and is one of the only players in the area to receive a Division I scholarship. Hurd played on local youth teams and starred at Chico High. He is a sought after and respected trainer/coach in Chico and is the director of the Rooks Soccer Camps. "The second season with this team will be better than the first," remarked Hurd. "Many players returned and that makes us a well-seasoned group, and the new players have a lot of talent and skill."

Tony Longuiera is also a product of Chico, and he too grew up playing in local youth leagues. A graduate of Pleasant Valley High School, Longueira coaches at the high school and youth levels. Longueira commented, "Last year was a tremendous experience for the kids. They had a chance to play at a very competitive level, and it opened their eyes as to what real soccer is all about."

The Rooks U-15 Y-League team opens up league play with a home game against the Cavitt Soccer Academy of Sacramento in Chico on April 26th.

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For more information, contact: David Stahl
(530) 343-7665