World TeamTennis Adds Team, Washington Kastles, in Washington D.C.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rosie Crews
1402 Toplea Drive
Euless,
817-684-0366
rcrews@wtt.com
02/14/08 - NEW YORK, N.Y. - The World TeamTennis Pro League today announced the League has added a franchise in Washington, D.C. The Washington Kastles, owned by a group led by venture capitalist and entrepreneur Mark Ein, will play their home matches at a Washington, D.C., location soon to be announced. The 2008 WTT regular season runs July 3-23 with the WTT Championship Weekend set for July 24-27 in Roseville, Calif.
World TeamTennis, co-founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King, features several generations of tennis pros competing in a co-ed pro league in communities throughout the U.S. each summer. This is the first Washington, D.C.-based team in the League’s 33-year history.
"Washington D.C. is a world-class sports market that will be a showcase for World TeamTennis,” said WTT CEO/Commissioner Ilana Kloss. “We’ve looked at this market for several years as a great location for expansion. Thanks to the leadership and vision of Mark Ein, everything came together for it to happen this year.”
“Area fans have supported tennis for many years and we think they will really embrace our unique brand of tennis,” added Kloss.
The Kastles will select their lineup when they draft sixth out of 11 teams at the WTT Player Draft on April 1 in Miami. Washington will play seven home matches and seven matches on the road during the month-long season. The team is currently looking at several potential locations to build a temporary stadium for the season.
Ein, a native of Washington and a seasoned, successful entrepreneur and investor is excited to combine his business interests and commitment to the community with the sport of tennis. “I am thrilled to bring World TeamTennis to our area. WTT tennis is great entertainment emphasizing fan interaction, and it is the only major sport with men and women playing together on the same team. The Washington Kastles season will be an exciting summertime addition to our local economy and a fun activity for our entire community.”
Ein is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Venturehouse Group, LLC, a holding company based in downtown Washington D.C., that creates, invests in and builds technology and telecommunications companies. He is also the founder and CEO of Capitol Acquisition Corporation (AMEX: CLA.U), a special purpose acquisition vehicle (SPAC), formed for the purpose of making an acquisition of a growth company, that completed a $262.5 million initial public offering in November 2007. Through Leland Investment Co, another investment holding company, Ein is the majority owner and managing member of Kastle Systems, LLC, a leading provider of building and office security systems.
Ein actively supports many community and charitable organizations in the Washington, D.C. area, and serves or has served in recent years as a board member or advisor for several including The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), The Economic Club Of Washington, The Federal City Council, The SEED Foundation, The Trustees Council of the National Gallery of Art, FasterCures Philanthropy Advisory Service, The Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund, , The Washington Tennis & Education Foundation, The Tennis Center at College Park, and the MidAtlantic Tennis and Education Foundation. Ein was also an Executive Producer of “Kicking It”, a documentary film about the Homeless World Cup of soccer, that was shown at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and that has formed distribution deals with both ESPN and Netflix.
For more information on the Kastles, call 202-4-TENNIS (202-483-6647) or visit www.WashingtonKastles.com.
The Kastles will play in the Eastern Conference along with the Boston Lobsters (Boston, Mass.), New York Buzz (Schenectady, N.Y.), New York Sportimes (Mamaroneck, N.Y.), Philadelphia Freedoms (Philadelphia, Pa.), and Delaware Smash (Wilmington, Del.).
The defending WTT Champions Sacramento Capitals (Roseville, Calif.) head up the Western Conference along with the Newport Beach Breakers (Newport Beach, Calif.), Kansas City Explorers (Kansas City, Mo.), Springfield Lasers (Springfield, Mo.) and the St. Louis Aces (St. Louis, Mo.).
For more information on the World TeamTennis Pro League presented by Advanta, visit www.WTT.com.
Links:
www.WTT.com
