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Football / Yorke To Play in Indoor Tournament
« on: March 13, 2010, 03:45:23 PM »
I was reading through the papers today and came across this article. I already got tickets for it, should be nice to see Yorke and Cole play live.
Former soccer superstars keep going indoors
By John Korobanik, edmontonjournal.comMarch 13, 2010Comments (
EDMONTON — Howard Silver was in England a few years back when he turned on the television in his hotel room and suddenly found himself watching indoor soccer. Surprised, discovered he was watching what would be called oldtimers soccer.
Only the players weren't just recreational players, they were once some of the biggest names in English soccer.
"I was shocked to see it, considering where I was," Silver said Friday in announcing some of those big names would be coming to Edmonton as part of the 2010 Legends of Soccer tour.
Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke are names that were once synonymous with the best in England's Premier League football. The four will be centrepieces of the Liverpool and Manchester United masters teams that will play in a one-day, round-robin Legends of Soccer tournament at Rexall Place on April 3. All-star teams of players 35 and over from Edmonton and Calgary will round out the four-team event.
Cole was sold to Manchester United in 1995 for a then-Britishrecord seven million pounds, and two seasons later tied for the Premier League scoring championship with 18 goals. In 1998-99 he and Yorke formed one of the most formidable attacking partnerships in the league and led their club to titles in the Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.
Fowler was among the most prolific scorers of his time, with 183 goals in 369 matches with Liverpool, twice scoring more than 30 goals in a season. McManaman made his Premiership debut in 1990 at age 18 and was a key performer for the team for nine years before moving to Real Madrid, then to Manchester City.
"I grew up watching half of those guys," said Dennis Taylor, pre-selected as one of the Edmonton players. "They're amazing players and to play against them will be awesome, it'll be unbelievable. These guys can still play. Some of them just retired. "
Manchester United and Liverpool are among more than 40 teams playing masters indoor soccer in England, with the rosters made up of more than 350 players retired from the Premiership. The two English teams will play a one-day tournament in Montreal against teams of former Montreal Impact players on April 1, then move on to Edmonton.
The rules will be similar to Canadian indoor soccer, with a few minor changes including larger nets, and having at least one player in the opposition's half of the floor at all times, except during penalties. Games will two eight-minute halves.
The Edmonton and Calgary teams will be selected from among local players. Tryout camps will be held shortly and coaches Dieter Knobloch and Karl Weidle feel the team should be competitive. Hamish Black is the third local coach.
"The talent we have here in Edmonton is unbelievable. It's just a matter of getting the right guys," said Taylor.
Silver said the tournament drew about 11,000 fans in Calgary last year and he's hoping for another large crowd in Edmonton. Tickets for the event are available through Ticketmaster.
credit: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/English+soccer+stars+coming+Edmonton+legends+tournament/2677168/story.html
Former soccer superstars keep going indoors
By John Korobanik, edmontonjournal.comMarch 13, 2010Comments (
EDMONTON — Howard Silver was in England a few years back when he turned on the television in his hotel room and suddenly found himself watching indoor soccer. Surprised, discovered he was watching what would be called oldtimers soccer.
Only the players weren't just recreational players, they were once some of the biggest names in English soccer.
"I was shocked to see it, considering where I was," Silver said Friday in announcing some of those big names would be coming to Edmonton as part of the 2010 Legends of Soccer tour.
Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke are names that were once synonymous with the best in England's Premier League football. The four will be centrepieces of the Liverpool and Manchester United masters teams that will play in a one-day, round-robin Legends of Soccer tournament at Rexall Place on April 3. All-star teams of players 35 and over from Edmonton and Calgary will round out the four-team event.
Cole was sold to Manchester United in 1995 for a then-Britishrecord seven million pounds, and two seasons later tied for the Premier League scoring championship with 18 goals. In 1998-99 he and Yorke formed one of the most formidable attacking partnerships in the league and led their club to titles in the Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.
Fowler was among the most prolific scorers of his time, with 183 goals in 369 matches with Liverpool, twice scoring more than 30 goals in a season. McManaman made his Premiership debut in 1990 at age 18 and was a key performer for the team for nine years before moving to Real Madrid, then to Manchester City.
"I grew up watching half of those guys," said Dennis Taylor, pre-selected as one of the Edmonton players. "They're amazing players and to play against them will be awesome, it'll be unbelievable. These guys can still play. Some of them just retired. "
Manchester United and Liverpool are among more than 40 teams playing masters indoor soccer in England, with the rosters made up of more than 350 players retired from the Premiership. The two English teams will play a one-day tournament in Montreal against teams of former Montreal Impact players on April 1, then move on to Edmonton.
The rules will be similar to Canadian indoor soccer, with a few minor changes including larger nets, and having at least one player in the opposition's half of the floor at all times, except during penalties. Games will two eight-minute halves.
The Edmonton and Calgary teams will be selected from among local players. Tryout camps will be held shortly and coaches Dieter Knobloch and Karl Weidle feel the team should be competitive. Hamish Black is the third local coach.
"The talent we have here in Edmonton is unbelievable. It's just a matter of getting the right guys," said Taylor.
Silver said the tournament drew about 11,000 fans in Calgary last year and he's hoping for another large crowd in Edmonton. Tickets for the event are available through Ticketmaster.
credit: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/English+soccer+stars+coming+Edmonton+legends+tournament/2677168/story.html
