Los Angeles, Calif. (Monday, October 6, 2008)- The Women’s Professional Soccer Franchise in Los Angeles announced on Friday the hiring of Pali Blues head coach and general manager Charlie Naimo as the club’s inaugural general manager. Naimo looks to build a relationship between the professional level team and W-League club.

“The teams will absolutely be connected,” Naimo stated about the link between the professional club and W-League side. “Our goal for the Pali Blues is to repeat as W-League champions, and we will continue to develop a strong presence in our local soccer community.”

Naimo’s new role has him overseeing soccer operations for the new pro team. However, the responsibilities will not affect his coaching position with the Pali Blues, a team that went undefeated last season and won a national championship. Naimo will continue to serve as head coach of the Blues and will take over as President of Operations for the W-League club.

Even with the addition of a new professional venue for female soccer players, Naimo seeks to keep the Pali Blues performing at the highest levels.

“From a soccer perspective, the Pali Blues will be the best place to play outside of the WPS,” he commented. “In fact, we hope that the team we construct will be at a competitive level with that of one of the seven pro teams. So far, we have been in contact with many top internationals from around the world that have just missed out being selected into the inaugural WPS season.

“The Pali Blues will be a place where we can monitor their progress for the future, possibly even ’09,” Naimo continued. “We have also begun our initial contact with many of the top collegiate players around the country that we believe will be professional at the conclusion of their academic careers.”

These relationships are the beginning of a plan that Naimo has envisioned for years and will take the whole organization one step closer to a true European club model.

“Charlie’s been speaking of capitalizing on an opportunity of this nature for quite some time,” Kenzo Bergeron, Director of Operations, said. “I know that it has been a dream of his, and it is enjoyable to see his dream begin to take shape. Charlie has had success at every level, with every team, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will put together the best team at both levels. For players, fans and staff, it is a very exciting time.”

Naimo’s recent time has been spent on getting to know U.S. National Team allocated players, drafting international players, and the first of two domestic drafts.

Speaking on this process, Naimo remarked, “Since accepting my dual role as General Manager of the professional team and President of Operations/Head Coach of the Pali Blues, I have really focused on the soccer aspect of operations and the players. In the next few weeks, we will announce the hiring of a new general manager for the Pali Blues. After a successful 2008, we believe the right candidate will not only renew all the great relationships we have formed but will take us to new levels.”

The Pali Blues Soccer Club congratulates Charlie Naimo on his exciting new hire and all that it brings to the Pali Blues.

The USL W-League played its inaugural season in 1995, and it is recognized as the premiere development league for female players in North America. The schedule is set to open next May and commence in August.

WPS is the highest level women’s professional soccer league in North America. Formed in September 2007 as the result of the efforts of the Women’s Soccer Initiative, Inc., WPS, which will begin play in April 2009, consists of seven teams across the country. The Los Angeles franchise is co-owned and operated by Blue Star LLC and AEG. For more information, please visit www.womensprosoccer.com.