Sky Blue FC relieves Ian Sawyers of duties as head coach & general manager

SOMERSET, N.J. (May 28, 2009) – Sky Blue FC of Women’s Professional Soccer announced today that Ian Sawyers has been relieved of his duties as Head Coach and General Manager. This follows the announcement last Saturday of Sawyers’ indefinite suspension from both positions.

“The disagreements between the coach, team, and management made it impossible to move forward successfully,” said Thomas Hofstetter, CEO and President of Sky Blue Soccer, the parent company of Sky Blue FC. “We need to maintain the goals, and the atmosphere that is most conducive for our team, and be able to focus on building the league. Consequently, we felt this move was necessary.”

“I have incredibly strong belief in the Sky Blue FC team as players and as people, and the tremendous character and strength they have shown throughout this process demonstrates that they will be successful both on and off the field.”

Sky Blue FC also announced the appointment of Gerry Marrone as the new team General Manager. Marrone, who has has been playing, coaching and administrating soccer for over 25 years, served the Sky Blue Soccer organization as the VP of Sales & Marketing. Previously, he was the senior VP of PromoWorks, a marketing services company and official promo organization for the Chicago Cubs. Marrone is currently the owner of the Central New Jersey franchise of the national chain Soccer Shots, which delivers soccer education to youth ages three through eight.

“I’ve been in all types of business situations in my career,” Marrone said. “I am confident, and excited, to take on the roles and responsibilities as General Manager of Sky Blue FC, to negotiate challenges and celebrate success, and to combine my business experience with my passion for soccer.”

“Gerry has brought skill, experience and unparalleled success to our organization in a very brief time,” Hofstetter said. “I am completely confident that he is the perfect fit for this job, and that he will continue to develop in the vital role as General Manager. Together with Assistant General Manager Kristin Lettiere, we have a great administrative team in place.”

Sky Blue FC continues with Assistant General Manager Kristin Lettiere, who has been with the company for the past year. Lettiere is an experienced soccer administrator, who formerly worked in