Norfolk Sharx I-League pro indoor team officially introduced at city ceremony

Norfolk, Virginia's newest sports team, Norfolk SharX Indoor Pro Soccer, was officially welcomed by the City today at a press conference and reception at Nauticus on the downtown Norfolk waterfront. To present the team to the City was Chris Economides, Senior Director of the United Soccer Leagues I-League. On hand to welcome the new team to Norfolk was Mayor Paul Fraim, top City officials, and representatives of other local sports organizations.

"The Norfolk SharX are a fantastic addition to the I-League, which continues to build momentum as we head toward the opening kickoff in November," Economides said. "With Marcie Laumann serving as CEO and President, there is no question that the SharX will enjoy a great deal of success just as her PDL and W-League teams have."

The SharX plan to kick off their first season at Norfolk Scope Arena in November and will play 20 games per season, ten at home and ten on the road. The team also revealed its logo and team colors at the event and started its official countdown to kickoff.

"SevenVenues is excited about adding the Norfolk SharX to our portfolio of professional sports teams," said Rhamstine. "Indoor soccer is a fast-paced event that is exciting and fits perfectly, from an operational standpoint, with the other events we already host in SCOPE Arena."

Marcie Laumann, founder and president of the Hampton Roads Piranhas, is one of the principle owners of the team which is wholly owned by Ariel Sports Group. The Norfolk SharX will play in the I-League, the new indoor league created by United Soccer Leagues (USL), the same organization that governs the Piranhas.

Ms. Laumann, who will act as President of the Norfolk SharX, has a long and illustrious career in soccer team ownership and management in the USL. For the past 17 years, she has led the Piranhas teams and has won numerous individual and team awards, and her teams have won championships.

Ms. Laumann has been honored by the USL with the Archie Moylan Courage Award (2000), Marketing Excellence Award (2001), USL Executive of the Year (2002, 2007), USL Organization of the Year (2003) and in 2004 both Marcie and her husband, Doc, were inducted into the USL Hall of Fame.

The Piranhas' women's team, which was established in 1995, has appeared in the W-League Playoffs seven times, has won four Division/Conference titles, was a league finalist in 1998 and 2003 and won the W-League Championship in 2003.

The men's team, which she acquired in 2007, won the PDL (Premier Development League) Regular Season Championship in its inaugural season. In 2007, the team also won the PDL Eastern Conference Regular Season Championship, and the PDL Mid-Atlantic Championship.

"Everyone here at the SharX understands that community and corporate support is earned and not given or expected," Ms. Laumann said. "We have worked hard behind the scenes for the past eight months to develop a franchise that today we are proud to introduce to our neighbors, friends, and family throughout Hampton Roads. It is our goal to entrench our franchise in the community rather than making demands of our community. Although we intend to be fiercely competitive on the pitch, we recognize that the opportunity we have been given is much broader than the lines on the field. We will provide role models for our youth, and support for as many community projects as we can, and this will have a far greater impact on Hampton Roads than the outcome of any game."

The head coaching position for the Norfolk SharX will be announced in the upcoming weeks, as well as information on players, tickets and schedules.