TORONTO, ON—April 3, 2002… The Toronto Lynx are taking their training camp on the road and heading to Houghton, New York on Monday, April 8 to spend a week training at Houghton College. When they return home, General Manager and Head Coach Peter Pinizzotto should have his roster finalized for the 2002 season.
Pinizzotto has already begun the process of trimming his roster as the coach made his first wave of cuts from training camp over the weekend. Toronto’s coach has been impressed with what he’s seen so far in the pre-season and views the Houghton trip as an important training camp tool. “ I think the trip to Houghton College will serve as a great bonding experience for our team. Hopefully, it will bring us closer together as a club and will allow some of our new players to get better acquainted with everyone”.
The Toronto Lynx will play their final three pre-season matches at Houghton College Stadium beginning with a match against St. Bonaventure College on Tuesday, April 9. Toronto will also battle the 2001 A-League Champions, the Rochester Raging Rhinos on Thursday, April 11 and Houghton College on Saturday, April 13. These games will mark the final opportunity for players to showcase their talents in hopes of making the squad. The Lynx will then return home to unveil their official 2002 roster on Wednesday, April 17 at the annual Meet the Lynx Press Conference. Afterwards, the team will be back on the road as the club travels to Pittsburgh to officially kick off their sixth season on Saturday, April 20 against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
LYNX PARTNER WITH NATIONAL SPORTS
Corporate support continues to grow for the Toronto Lynx as the club is pleased to announce the addition of National Sports as a corporate sponsor for the 2002 season. This partnership provides a dynamic and integrated marketing package that benefits pro soccer and National Sports. This year, fans of the Lynx can look for the National Sports’ Event Team, that in conjunction with the Lynx, will be travelling throughout Southern Ontario to local area soccer tournaments and providing kids with fun soccer interactives such as an inflatable Speed Kick which allows fans to measure the velocity of their shot. Lynx players and the Lynxster mascot will be on hand for these events providing soccer contests, activities, autographs and tips to young soccer players.
CLUB CONTINUES STRONG COMMUNITY PRESENCE
Strong community outreach programs are the backbone of the Toronto Lynx franchise and have been an integral part of the team’s steady growth. For the 2002 season, the Toronto Lynx have once again partnered with numerous community organizations in an effort to inspire, mentor and motivate Toronto’s soccer youth. The Toronto Lynx are pleased to announce the following additional community partners for the 2002 season: The Canadian Safe School Network, The Ontario Special Olympics and Canadian Cystic Fibrosis (65 Roses).
In conjunction with The Canadian Safe School Network (CSSN) the Toronto Lynx have developed the “Kick Bullying” program aimed at negating harassment at local area schools. Together with the CSSN, the Toronto Lynx will be appearing at local GTA schools and other community events to spread awareness about this growing issue. Club players will also be appearing at the Run For Safe Schools on June 15, 2002 to show their support for the cause.
The team is also excited to announce that Ontario Special Olympics have once again partnered with the Toronto Lynx for an official Ontario Special Olympics Day outing on Friday, August 23 when the Lynx take on the Rochester Raging Rhinos. This event serves as an excellent opportunity for their proteges to experience the thrill of being at a professional soccer game and get inspired to new heights.
Finally, the Lynx have also secured a partnership with the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (65 Roses Sports Club). Fans of the Toronto Lynx can look for some players appearing at the Kick Off Luncheon on Thursday, May 16, 2002 at Wayne Gretzky’s Studio 99 from 11:30-2:00 p.m.
