USL News Release
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
TAMPA, FL – A little more than two weeks away from the second annual W-League Combine being held at the Tampa Bay Hellenic’s Ed Radice Sports Complex in Tampa, Florida, United Soccer Leagues (USL) has accepted 70 player applications. The event will begin Thursday, September 24 and run through Sunday, September 27.
“The principal function of the W-League Combine is to give the top players in the league an opportunity to impress WPS coaches,” said W-League Director, Melanie Fitzgerald.
The 2008 W-League Combine was successful in moving 35 players who attended the combine into WPS drafts. The expansion of WPS into Philadelphia (Independence) and Atlanta (Beat) for the 2010 season will likely play a role in increasing the number of W-League alumnae in WPS.
“I feel the combine will give us a great look at some of the top players in the W-league,” said Atlanta Beat Head Coach Gareth O'Sullivan via email. “We hope to be able to fill some roster spots from the event.”
“There is no ceiling on the number of events we will attend in the pursuit of the right players for the 2010 season,” added O'Sullivan. “We are hopeful the W-League Combine will have the caliber of player we are looking for.”
O’Sullivan and the rest of Atlanta’s coaching staff are busy deciding who they will choose as the Beat’s first-ever player on Tuesday, September 15 in the WPS Expansion Draft. Philadelphia and Atlanta will each select nine players from existing WPS teams during the draft. The existing WPS clubs are allowed to protect up to 10 players prior to the draft.
“We will not be allotted any national team players for the 2010 season,” said O’Sullivan.
WPS will also conduct an International Draft for the Philadelphia and Atlanta franchises on Tuesday, September 22. The 2010 WPS Draft is scheduled for Friday, January 15 in Philadelphia.
About O’Sullivan
A native of Ballina, Ireland, O’Sullivan is a nationally respected coach with proven success at the youth, college and professional levels. Most recently he served as coach to Afturelding and KR in the Icelandic Premier League.
O’Sullivan enjoyed several years of coaching in Georgia, where he launched the University of West Georgia women’s soccer program in 2004. He added to his collection of Conference Coach of the Year awards in 2005 and was involved with developing soccer throughout the state.
“My focus is simply to win championships for the great fans of Atlanta, a place where I have spent much of my adult life,” said O’Sullivan in an Atlanta Beat press release. “Atlanta is a hotbed for the sport of soccer and I believe that with my experience in both collegiate and international soccer, along with the great coaching staff we have put together, we can craft a team that will not only be competitive on the field, but also will be exciting to watch.”
Asked about the possibility of local players from the Atlanta-based W-League franchise, the Atlanta Silverbacks, joining the Beat, O’Sullivan said: “I have not been to any Silverbacks games this past season, but our club has been represented and I have received reports on several potential players.”
