PEORIA, Ill. - The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) College Soccer Game of the Week national television package will kick off the 2009 season at Shea Stadium Sept. 4 at 10 p.m. when Fox Soccer Channel televises Bradley's home-opener versus Memphis in the Busey Bank Kickoff Festival.
<iframe width="480" height="391" frameborder="0" src="http://www.bradleybraves.com/newMediaPlayer/embed.htm?type=vod&id=642296&oemid=3400"></iframe>
Detailed ticket information and a promotions schedule for the nationally-televised game will follow next week, but fans will have the opportunity to pick up coupons for discounted tickets at businesses all over Peoria. In addition, the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt and all youth in attendance will receive free "Thundersticks."
Bradley is striving to draw a record crowd for the game against the Tigers. Bradley's largest home crowd is 2,529 for the 2007 home opener versus Lipscomb and the largest crowd to see any soccer game at Shea Stadium was the 3,829 that packed the complex for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying game between Major League Soccer rivals Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew June 10, 2008.
Sponsored locally by the Hotels at Grand Prairie, the Fox Soccer Channel broadcast will be the first-ever national television broadcast of Bradley Soccer from Shea Stadium. The game against the Tigers will be Bradley's second FSC appearance in three years (2-2 tie at Creighton in 2007). Two other games also have been broadcast regionally from Shea Stadium, the 2005 and 2006 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship games between Bradley and Creighton on Fox Sports Midwest, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and MetroSports in Kansas City.
