SoccerFest & Viewing Party at SteelStacks Named ‘Best New Event’ by International Festivals & Events Association

Event’s planning committee hopes to bring festival back for Women’s World Cup™This June 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe 2014 FIFA World Cup™ SoccerFest & Viewing Party, which drew more than 50,000 people to the SteelStacks arts and entertainment district on the site of Bethlehem’s former steel plant, has been named one of the “Best New Events”by the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA). With the recent announcement of the Women’s World Cup™ draw, the SoccerFest’s planning committee, led by the nonprofit ArtsQuest, has also announced that it will look to seek approval from FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, to present a second official SoccerFest & Viewing Party at SteelStacks this summer to coincide with the Women’s World Cup™ in Canada June 6-July 5.

“The 2014 FIFA World Cup™ SoccerFest & Viewing Party was a huge success thanks to the support of our many partners, our incredible community and the thousands of soccer fans from near and far who came out to watch the matches,“ says ArtsQuest Senior Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Partnerships Curt Mosel. “The recognition from FIFA really brought tremendous credibility and respect to our new event, and we were thrilled that the organization named us as one of its official viewing party locations.

“We’re looking forward to working with FIFA in 2015 to hopefully have SteelStacks named as one of the official viewing locations for this year’s Women’s World Cup™. The passion of the region’s soccer fans, the event’s diverse programming and the unique atmosphere at SteelStacks make this former industrial site an exciting location for cheering on the U.S. National Team during its quest for the cup.”

Competing in the category for events with budgets under $250,000, the FIFA World Cup™ SoccerFest & Viewing Party captured a Silver Pinnacle Award for “Best New Event” at IFEA’s 59th Annual Convention & Expo in Kansas City, Mo., this past fall. The professional competition draws entries from among the world’s top festivals and events, with the 2014 winners representing organizations as diverse as Bumbershoot in Seattle, Wash.; Boulevardia in Kansas City; Denver Comic Con in Denver; Philadelphia Flower Show in Philadelphia; National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC; Luminato Festival in Toronto; and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Last year, the SoccerFest & Viewing Party’s planning committee, comprised of Discover Lehigh Valley, Lehigh Valley United, Spark and ArtsQuest, began pursuing its goal of presenting a new festival to celebrate the World’s Game by attending one of the most respected soccer-related events in the nation, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA ) annual convention in Philadelphia. The committee will be among the participants at this year’s 69th Annual NSCAA Convention Jan. 14-18 in the City of Brotherly Love, meeting with attendees to help gather support for a potential viewing party at SteelStacks in 2015.

“The NSCAA’s annual convention is one of the premier events for soccer coaches in the nation and it really served as a springboard for helping us launch the SoccerFest & Viewing Party last year,” says Mosel. “The event provides excellent opportunities to meet and network with thousands of soccer coaches, administrators and players from throughout the region and across the country, something that’s so important when you are looking to build grassroots support for a new event. We were so thankful that the NSCAA decided to support the SoccerFest & Viewing Party, even going so far as to present a coaches clinic as part of the activities at SteelStacks last summer.”

While planning for the 2015 SoccerFest & Viewing Party is in its very early stages, the planning committee’s goal is to show the U.S. Women’s National Team’s preliminary stage games June 8 vs. Australia, June 12 vs. Sweden and June 16 vs. Nigeria on the outdoor television screens at SteelStacks. To help celebrate the Women’s World Cup and the growth in women’s soccer in recent years, the soccer festival would also feature a variety of soccer-related programs and activities, with an emphasis on programming geared toward girls ages 10-15. In addition, the festival hopes to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Bethlehem Steel Football Club’s first U.S. Open Cup win, which took place in May 1915.

“The fact that Eastern Pennsylvania is hosting major soccer-related events such as the NSCAA annual convention and the FIFA World Cup™ SoccerFest & Viewing Party really highlights the tremendous growth the sport has undergoing in the region, as well as the passion and enthusiasm of the area’s fans,” says NSCAA CEO Joe Cummings. “Whether you’re a coach, player or just love the sport, these are two events that really shine the spotlight on the excitement and beauty of World’s Game.

“We’re thrilled to bring our annual convention back to Philadelphia for 2015, and we’re looking forward to once again partnering with the Lehigh Valley SoccerFest, which is definitely one of the most unique soccer celebrations around.”

The FIFA World Cup™ SoccerFest & Viewing Party attracted an estimated 52,000 people to SteelStacks in summer 2014. From June 12-July 13, the festival showed nearly 60 games on the outdoor television screens at the arts and entertainment campus, with more than 29,000 people alone turning out to cheer on the USA during its four matches in the tournament. The event also attracted the attention of ESPN, which offered several live “look-ins” at the crowds at SteelStacks during the U.S. match vs. Ghana June 16.

For more information, visit soccerfest.discoverlehighvalley.com or like www.facebook.com/LVsoccerfest.