Tuscaloosa Hosts Japan’s Obic Seagulls in Exhibition Football Game

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TUSCALOOSA, AL (August 12) – The Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission (TTSC) is proud to announce their collaboration with Sister Cities International to host the inaugural Sister Cities International Bowl between the Obic Seagulls from Narashino, Japan, and the Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League (APDFL) Blazers. This exhibition game will be held on Thursday, August 14th at 7:00 p.m. at the Central High School Football Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL.

The Obic Seagulls will arrive in Tuscaloosa on Monday, August 11th and hold their practices in local high school facilities, leading up to the game at Central High School on Thursday, August 14th. In between practices, the two teams will be touring local attractions. Ticket information for this event will be available in the upcoming weeks.

The Obic Seagulls team was founded in 1983 in Narashino, Japan and is one of Japan’s top amateur football clubs. The Seagulls boast an impressive record, being 8-time X League Champions and 7-time National Champions, with 4 of their national titles being won consecutively from 2010-2013. In 26 seasons of playing, the Seagulls have won 144 of their 180 games played and hold the record for the most titles won by any team in the Japanese amateur football arena. Head Coach Makoto Ohashi will be bringing   his championship team to Tuscaloosa in their first trip to the United States in an effort to promote increased sports diplomacy.

The Seagulls’ opponent, the APDFL Blazers, is an American all-star team comprised of amateur players from the southeast region. These two teams are coming together through the partnership between Tuscaloosa and Sister Cities International, a connection established in 1986 to promote person-to-person relationships and citizen diplomacy. The Sister Cities International organization strives “to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time.”

For more information, contact Brandt Garrison, Manager for Communications and Public Relations for the TTSC, at 205.391.9200 or [email protected].

#   #   #

Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission’s (TTSC) mission is to increase economic impact to the City of Tuscaloosa by positioning Tuscaloosa as a destination for our targeted markets including sporting events, meetings,  reunions and  leisure tourism. This generates  lodging, dining,  shopping  and entertainment revenue for the City. To learn more, go to www.visittuscaloosa.com.

For more information:
Brandt Garrison, Manager of Communications & PR
205.391.9200
[email protected]

Click here to download PDF (1.4 MB).