Ghana WNT Black Queens' Bay Area Press Conference and Tour
October 4, 2006

Press Conference to be held 11:00 a.m. Friday, October 6th at CSA-N Headquarters.

San Francisco, CA - CSA-N the governing body of Northern California soccer is pleased to facilitate a press conference to introduce and welcome the Ghana National Women's Soccer Team, known as the “Black Queens,” to a training tour of the Bay Area hosted by the San Francisco Nighthawks.

The press conference will be held at the CSA-N headquarters at 1348 Silver Avenue, SF 94134 at 11am on Friday October 6th.

In attendance will be the players and coaches of the Black Queens, the San Francisco Nighthawks, Representatives of CSA-N and local soccer leagues, and possibly coaches and players of the California Storm of Sacramento.

The Ghana National Women's Soccer Team, will be in the Bay Area from October 4 to October 20, 2006 to play exhibition matches with the Storm and the Nighthawks, train with local coach Robert Sackey, and reach out to Bay Area soccer fans at clinics and other public events involving youth soccer players, and the SF Rec and Parks Department.

About the Tour

The San Francisco Nighthawks have helped coordinate the tour and will play an important role in the Black Queens’ training schedule by participating in a number of scrimmages and practice sessions with the Ghanaian team. The Black Queens will train daily throughout the Bay Area under the direction of El Cerrito resident and Ghana native Robert Sackey, with a focus on preparing for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in China.

The tour will also feature two exciting exhibition matches:

(1) October 7th at 7:30 p.m., the Black Queens will play the California Storm of Sacramento at Kezar Stadium. The Storm is ranked among the top ten women’s soccer teams in the world and features several former members of the USA National Women’s Soccer Team.

(2) October 16th at 7:30 p.m, the Black Queens will play the San Francisco Nighthawks at Justin Siena High School in Napa.

The Black Queens, together with their counterparts from the Nighthawks, will also participate in a number of soccer clinics, skills demonstrations and other activities for kids and adults in the Bay Area who love soccer.

On October 11th at 5:30 p.m., Mayor Gavin Newsom has been invited along with the Black Queens in advance of a ribbon cutting ceremony to inaugurate the renovated field at Garfield Square in the Mission District of San Francisco. Immediately following the ceremony, Black Queens and Nighthawks players will put on a soccer skills demonstration for kids on the newly-renovated field.

About the Black Queens

The Ghana National Women's Soccer Team, is one of the two national women’s soccer teams from Africa that qualified to compete at the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments. They have competed in the Women’s Football Olympic Games and in every African Women’s Championship, becoming the only team ever to defeat powerhouse Nigeria in that championship tournament. The team now has its sights set on the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be held in China next September. In advance of the World Cup, the Black Queens will be back in the U.S. for an extended Goodwill Tour and additional training with Robert Sackey.

The Ghana Football Association is hopeful that the Black Queens can duplicate the remarkable success of the Ghana Men’s National Team (known as the “Black Stars”) at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany earlier this year, in which the Black Stars defeated the top-ranked Czech Republic and U.S. teams, emerging from a tough group to become the only African team to qualify for the elimination rounds of the tournament.

About the Nighthawks

Led by veterans of some of the top collegiate soccer programs in the U.S., the San Francisco Nighthawks compete in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (“WPSL”) and the Golden Gate Women’s Soccer League (“GGWSL”). The team was one of the founding members of the WPSL, the top ranked women's soccer league in the U.S. and one of the top women's soccer leagues in the world. The Nighthawks are the three-time reigning champions of GGWSL’s Premier Division, having won the title in the spring 2006, fall 2005 and spring 2005. Team members also make time to promote soccer in the community by conducting clinics, coaching local youth teams and participating in the Soccer in the Streets program for inner-city kids.

About Robert Sackey

A native of Takoradi, Ghana and longtime Bay Area soccer coach, Robert Sackey has served as coach of the San Francisco Nighthawks, coaching coordinator of the Alameda-Contra Costa Youth Soccer League and technical director for the Alameda-Contra Costa Mavericks. As a licensed coach with the United States Soccer Federation, he has also conducted numerous soccer clinics throughout the Bay Area.

Born into a Ghanaian soccer family, Sackey has long been committed to promoting soccer in his native Ghana at both a national and grass roots level. In this year’s FIFA World Cup, he served as the National Team Technical Director for the Ghana Men’s Soccer Team (the “Black Stars”). Having scouted the U.S. team for the Black Stars, Sackey helped create a game plan that was successful in Ghana’s crucial victory over the U.S. He also worked with the Ghana women’s team in advance of the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup, by helping to coach and train the team, and providing scouting reports on their opponents. In 2004, he conducted several training sessions for the Black Queens in Ghana.

Sackey has also worked hard in recent years to promote and develop youth soccer in Ghana. Since 2002, he has visited Ghana every year to donate jerseys, balls and other equipment to local soccer programs, including the Hasaacas Football Club in his native Takoradi and other teams. He also co-founded the Hasaacas Youth Academy, which includes both boy’s and girl’s teams in several age brackets. In addition to providing equipment, he has also coached and trained the young players in the Academy, believing that they are the foundation for continued Ghanaian success in international soccer competition.

For More Information
Please feel free to contact the Nighthawks General Manager Jill Lounsbury with any questions and to RSVP for the press conference.
Phone: 415-722-3816, Email: jillhawk@earthlink.net, Web: www.sfnighthawks.com