ABOUT
THE CHICAGO TROPHY 2007
The Chicago Trophy is a new international soccer tournament that will
be held on the weekend of July 27th and 29th in Chicago, IL at the Chicago
Bears stadium, Soldier Field. The inaugural staging of the competition
will feature 2006 and 2007 UEFA CUP winners and reigning European Super
Cup Champions Sevilla FC of Spain, Mexico’s Toluca, 2007 Mexican
Interliga winners, Wisla Krakow, winner of four Polish championships since
2000 and Reggina from Italy.
The Chicago Trophy is the biggest international soccer event in Chicago
since Soldier Field hosted the opening match of the 1994 World Cup. This
event is sponsored by Shelbourne Development, the company that is building
what will be the world’s tallest residential building - the Chicago
Spire, and partnership with the City of Chicago.
The event promoters and organisers, PLATINUM ONE, is a sports management
and conference business headquartered in Ireland. PLATINUM ONE is a significant
business in professional soccer in Europe with offices in England, Scotland
and Spain as well as Dublin, Ireland. This summer, as well as managing
the inaugural Chicago Trophy, the company is managing the preseason tour
of FC Barcelona to Scotland as well as part of the pre-season of Valencia
and the full pre-season programme of Sevilla, so representing three of
the top four clubs in Spain. In September 2006, PLATINUM ONE completed
an 8 year programme as event, commercial and marketing consultants to
the Ryder Cup in Ireland.
The Chicago Trophy has been developed specifically with the people of
Chicago in mind and the involvement of the top club in Poland this year
is the clearest evidence of that commitment. Chicago was chosen because
of its strong ethnic communities and social ties with cities and nations
throughout the world, the centrality of its location and its distinctive
qualities as a host city for major sporting events. The organisers are
determined to build the credibility of the event over the first few years
so that it becomes an event of choice of many of the top clubs in Europe.
The commitment of Sevilla, currently FIFA ranked number one club side
in the world to this year’s event demonstrates that Chicago is already
an attractive destination for the best.
The event will be staged over two days, Friday 27th and Sunday 29th of
July. The teams will compete for the Trophy by playing two matches each
and they will be awarded 3 points for a win and one for a drawn game.
In a novel feature of the event, teams will earn bonus points for scoring
goals. Fans will see two games each day and ticket prices will be structured
to make it accessible to all sports fans in Chicago and throughout the
State of Illinois.
A special perpetual trophy has been designed by Santiago Calatrava, the
Spanish architect who is designing the Chicago Spire. (www.calatrava.info.)
Special medals for the winning team have also been commissioned and are
being designed by Calatrava. The trophy was cast at the Fondation de Coubertin,
Saint-Rémy les Chevreuse, France. Pierre De Coubertin, the founder
of the modern Olympic Games was also a dedicated advocate of Chicago and
its tremendous assets and urban uniqueness. Coubertin’s great grand
nephew, Gilles De Navacell, currently resides in Lincoln Park, Chicago
and is a strong supporter of the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid.
PLATINUM ONE has reached an agreement with the City to run the event for
a minimum of three years.
contact us at info@thechicagotrophy.com
