Looking ahead to the GE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour 2007 in Winterthur
Zurich (ots)
- Information: Pictures can be downloaded on: http://www.presseportal.ch/fr/story.htx?firmaid=100008849 -
With the approach of this year's exciting GE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour, GE Money Bank is reinforcing its sponsoring commitment towards the up-and-coming sport of beach soccer. The 2007 GE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour will take place in Winterthur, in Lenk in the Bernese Oberland and at the "Zürifäscht" in Zurich, and will culminate with what promises to be the highlight of the season - a match played in Zurich's main railway station. In addition to the tour, GE Money Bank is the exclusive sponsor of the Swiss national team. At this year's European Championship, the national team ranked an outstanding fourth place, the first success arising from its winning teamwork with GE Money Bank.
For the second year in a row, GE Money Bank is sponsoring the title for the GE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour. The popularity of this up-and-coming sport is growing rapidly. In the run up to Euro 2008, public interest is mounting in everything surrounding the game of football. Beach soccer is not played on a traditional football field, but rather on specially prepared sand pitches that can be set up right in the middle of a city's downtown area.
The 2007 GE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour will kick off on 15 to 17 June in Winterthur. "Beach soccer is a young, dynamic, attractive sport that appeals to a broad segment of the public and is booming worldwide. Its a sport that suits our bank," commented Raphael Weishaupt, Head of Sponsoring at GE Money Bank. From Winterthur the games will move to the next stop on the tour which is in Lenk, from 29 June to 8 July, and from there will head on to the Beach Soccer Event at the "Zürifäscht" being held at the Alfred Escher field from 6 to 8 July. The tour will finish off at Zurich's main railway station, between 17 to 18 August, where fans will get to see the Swiss national team compete against the reigning FIFA Beach Soccer Champion, Brazil.
Exclusive sponsor of the national team
GE Money Bank supports the Swiss national beach soccer team as an exclusive sponsor and partner. Angelo Schirinzi, national trainer, confirms that "the beach soccer promotion programme initiated by GE Money Bank represents a milestone in the history of the Swiss national team. Thanks to this support, we can professionalise our efforts and move ahead full speed in the sport. We have been able to optimise our training schedule as well as our season and tour planning."
The first fruits of the GE Money Bank promotion programme were reaped by the national team when they achieved fourth place at this year's Beach Soccer European Championship, which was held 3 - 6 May in Tarragona, Spain. What's more, junior player Dejan Stankovic, a beneficiary of the GE Money Bank promotion programme, scored a total of 6 goals, making him the highest scorer at this year's championship games. "This great achievement is a clear sign that promoting our junior players on the path to professional football is well worth it and helps this young sport be recognised and appreciated at the international level," declared Ute Dehn, Head of Communication at GE Money Bank.
Promoting our young people
An added highlight at this year's GE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour will be the "Junior Days" at which children aged 8 to 16 will have the chance to train with the stars of the Swiss national team and experience the thrill of the sport at first hand. Enormous interest has been shown in this opportunity - over 3,500 eager young players have already registered.
Beach soccer highlights of the season:
- 15 - 17 JuneGE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour in Winterthur - 29 June - 8 JulyGE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour in Lenk - 6 - 8 JulyGE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour at "Zürifäscht" - 17 - 18 AugustGE Money Bank Beach Soccer Tour in Zurich's main railway station - 21 - 26 AugustFIFA World Cup qualifying games, Marseille (France) - 1 - 11 NovemberFIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
GE Money Bank offers financial services in Switzerland and belongs to the internationally active GE Money business unit of GE (General Electric Company). In Switzerland, GE Money Bank provides clients with services in the areas of automobile loans and leasing, personal loans, credit cards, insurance and savings. The bank employs approximately 800 people and has its head office in Zurich and 26 branch offices located throughout Switzerland. For more information, visit our web site at www.gemoneybank.ch
GE (General Electric Company), imagination at work - From jet engines to power generation, financial services to plastics, and medical imaging to news and information, GE people worldwide are dedicated to turning imaginative ideas into leading products and services that help solve some of the world's toughest problems. GE is a diversified company based in Fairfield, Connecticut, US. In 2006, GE achieved outstanding performance, with all six business units reporting double-digit growth. In over 100 countries around the world, more than 300,000 employees contributed to revenues of over 163 billion US dollars and profits of 20.7 billion US dollars. In Switzerland, GE employs approximately 1,400 employees within the six business units.
For more information, see http://www.ge.com/
Contact:
E-Mail: Ute Dehn
Tel.: +41/44/439'81'94
E-Mail: ute.dehn@ge.com